LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap....:...rCopyright No. 

Shell.^tl^LS' 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 





P^^^MJI 


/^Si 


l^wj^^s 


^gg 




^^^i 


^P 


^^^^ 


^p 




- -T - '' — im 


^^i:z.u 


'^^'^S^^B^&l.M^ 


^<7~^T^ 




_„...., 


i^!^^ 


^^m 


g 


' //^^^^ 


^^_^^;^^ 


1 


^H 


Hi 


U_,gj/W 


^i^E 


^S^" 




^^H 


^ 







■ 


H^B 




^ :_. ^ il 



w 



■> '^\ 




i^E 




^^^ 










MK- 



;C"ottivt«t-o 




'''^y''^0}^YH:':t S^-i 



PRACTICAL 

CARRIAGE AND WAGON 
PAINTING 



A TREATISE ON THE PAINTING OF 

CARRIAGES, WAGONS AND SLEIGHS 



EMBRACING FULL AND EXPLICIT DIRECTIONS 

FOR EXECUTING ALL CLASSES OF 

WORK, INCLUDING 



PAINTING FACTORY WORK, LETTERING, SCROLLING, 
ORNAMENTING, VARNISHING, ETC. 

WITH MANY TESTED RECIPES AND FORMULAS 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED 



BY M. C. HILLICK 






CHICAGO 
PRESS OF THE WESTERN PAINTER 







A'^^ 



8026 



COPYRIGHT 1898 

BY 

CHAS. H. WEBB 



..^^f' "' 






BeMcatea to tbe 

IDcbicle painters of Zlmerica 

anb tbe TlIIlocl& 



PREFACE. 

It has been almost twenty years since a volume on carriage and wagon 
painting made its appearance in this country, during which time the enter- 
prising carriage painter has been wide awake. He has found many new 
processes and a multitude of new materials of which the workman of twentj' 
years ago knew nothing; he has raised vehicle painting from a simple 
mechanical process, which was intended to preserve the surface from decay, 
to a fine art of the highest order, and fashionable people now take as much 
pride in having beautiful and stylish equipages as they do in wearing 
clothing that is up to date, or in securing jewels that are sufficiently brilliant 
to dazzle all beholders. 

No one realized more fully than the writer that an up-to-date work on 
the difficult but noble calling of the carriage and wagon painter was badly 
needed, so he began to cast about for someone who was fully qualified for 
the task of writing such a book. He knew that the author of such a work 
should be a man of extended trade practice and one who could divest himself 
of high-flown scientific terms and make his language so plain that any work- 
man who cared to do so could easily comprehend the instruction given. A 
careful survey of the field led to the selection of Mr. M. C. Hillick, whose 
work for the magazines during the past ten or twelve years has done so 
much to assist carriage and wagon painters to elevate their calling to its 
present high standard. Mr. Hillick has long held a high place among the 
best-known carriage painters in this country, is thoroughly posted on all the 
various branches of the business, and has the happy faculty of being able to 
impart his knowledge to others in such a plain, practical way that they 
cannot fail to understand him. His excessive modesty came very near 
causing him to decline, but he was finally induced to undertake the work, 
and Practicai, Carriage; and Wagon Painting is presented to a gen- 



PBACTIGAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTTKG. v. 

erous public with the knowledge that its superior has never made its appear- 
ance in this country. 

It is but a short time since the demands of the times gave birth to that 
great institution — the factory shop — that monster establishment from which 
hundreds of vehicles are turned out daily. The writer pleads guilty to a 
strong prejudice against the class of work done in these factories, j'et he is 
compelled to admire the finished product and applaud the genius of the 
painter who can thus marshal his forces and, by working to a set of fixed 
rules, seem to defy natural laws, and out of it all bring a thing of beauty 
which, while it does not prove a "joj^ forever," does possess a degree of 
durability that we of the old school of carriage painters were led to believe 
was impossible. It has remained for Mr. Hillick to take us through this 
great establishment, and he describes the processes and gives us the form- 
ulas that are employed, in such plain, helpful language that no one can read 
his words without profit as well as pleasure. 

Time and space forbid (even if I had the ability to give it) a compre- 
hensive review of this work. It would be impossible to enumerate the 
millions of good points it possesses, so it is best to let the succeeding pages 
speak for themselves. They will do it much more eloquently than I could 
hope to do. I am sure of one fact, and it is that if carriage and wagon 
painters all over the world will read and practice the teachings of the suc- 
ceeding chapters they will become better painters, better citizens, and our 
country roads, as well as our boulevards, will sparkle with a stream of better 
painted and more beautiful vehicles. 

When the writing of Practical Carriage and Wagon Painting 
was committed to Mr. Hillick, the writer expected great things of him. 
Now, as I look over the chapters of the completed work, I am happily con- 
scious of the fact that I am not disappointed in the slightest degree, and I 
wish to thank Mr. Hillick for giving to the vehicle world a work on painting 
that will prove helpful to the master workman as well as to the ambitious 

Chas H. Webb. 
apprentice. 

Chicago, April, 1898. 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
Introductory ' 1 

CHAPTER I. 

THE SHOP AND ITS EQUIPMENT. 

Locating and Fitting up the Shop — System of Ventilation— Furnishing and 
Equipping tlie Varnish Room — The '"Set R©om,"Etc. — With Fourteen 
Illustrations of Labor-Saving Devices for the Paint Shop and Varnish 
Room 3 

CHAPTER IL 

BUYING, USING, AND PRESEKVING BRUSHES. 

How to Select a Brush — How to Care for It — Softening the Hard Brush — Brush 

Keepers — Preserving Liquids, Etc. — With Seventeen Illustrations. 9 

CHAPTER III. 
THE SURFACING STAGE OF PAINTING. 
Materials Used— Priming — Its Importance — Numerous Formulas for Primers — 
When to Prime and How — Lead Coats — Their Office and Significance— Rub 
Lead, with Pull Directions for Making and Applying — Knifing Lead, with 
Numerous Formulas for Making It — Putty — Ten Formulas for Making- 
Putty — Directions for Using Putty so as to Obtain the best Results — 
Sandpapering — How and How Not to Do It — Sizes of Paper to be Used — 
Roughstuff — Many Formulas for Making It — The Mission of Roughstuff, 
with Full and Complete Directions for Applying and Surfacing It— Six 
Illustrations Accompany the Chapter ]7 

CHAPTER IV. 
COLORS. 

Colors Scientifically Analyzed — Prismatic and Objective Color — The Orders of 
Objective Coloi"s and their Uses in Vehicle Painting — Harmotaizing and 
Contrasting Colors— Testing Colors — Assaying for Opacity, Coloring 
Strength, Brilliancy, and Durability— With a Practical Working Table 
for Compounding 95% of the Most Fashionable and Popular Colors Used 
in Modern Carriage and Wagon Painting 28 

CHAPTER V. 

THE APPLICATION OF COLORS TO SURFACES. 

Detailed Instructions for Preparing the Foundation Colors— How to Get the 
Finest Results in Using the Ever-Popular Greens, Blues, and the Varied 
Colors Belonging to the Red Order— Also Yellows, Browns, and Blacks — 
Complete Information Covering the Painting of a White Job 37 

CHAPTER VI. 

VARNISH, AND THE MARVELOUS THING ABOUT IT. / 

Virtues of Varnish— Brief Review of its Mission— Applying Rubbing Varnish— 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. vii. 

Surfacing It, and the Tools and Appliances Used— Importance of the Water 
Supply, Washing Up, Etc.— The Tale of Pine Varnishing Made Easy- 
Flowing the Finishing Coat— Varnishing Running Parts— Various Move- 
ments Necessary— Numerous Illustrations 47 

CHAPTER VII. 

DEPRAVITIES OF VARNISH. 

Their Causes and Cure or Prevention— Graining Out— Cracking— Sweating- 
Deadening, Sinking In— Enameling, Silking, Etc.— Pitting— Seedy or 
Specky— Crawling— Wrinkling. Crinkling— Runs, Sags, Curtains, Drap- 
eries—Ridging. Roughing— Perishing, Crumbling, Rusting— Chipping, 
Flaking, Peeling— Fire Checks— Greening— Blooming— Blisters— Spotting 54 

CHAPTER VIII. 

STRIPING AND ITS PURPOSE. 

How to Learn the Art — Directions for Making Pencils and Caring for Them — 
Mixing Striping Colors — Names of Stripes— With Thirty-Six Illustrations, 
including Pencils, Various Styles of Stripes, Panel and Corner Designs, Etc. 

CHAPTER IX. 

SCROLL PAINTING. 

The Passing of the Fine Old Roman Scroll and its Destined Return to Favor — 
Relief and Flat Scrolls Fully Described — How to Learn The Art of Scroll- 
ing — Scrolls in Gold, Aluminum, and Colors — The Basis of Beautiful Sci-oU 
Work — Recipes for Gilding Size — With Eighteen Illustrations, Including 
Five Full-Page Designs of Relief and Flat Scrolls 75 

CHAPTER X. 

LETTERING. 

Wagon Lettering as Distinguished from Sign Writing— Specific Directions for 
Learning the Art of Wagon Lettering, Including Laying Out, Spacing, 
Outlining, Balancing, Shading, Punctuation, Etc.— Roman, Modified Block, 
Ornamental, and Grecian Alphabets, Numerals, Etc., Shown— With De- 
signs for Business Vehicle Panels 89 

CHAPTER XL 
MONOGRAMS. 
Their Antiquity, Relation to Modern Vehicle Painting, Etc.— Designing and 
Painting the Monogram— Necessary Tools— Making a Transfer Monogram 
—Leading Colors and Engaging Combinations— With Eighteen Illustrations 102 

CHAPTER XII. 

PAINTING THE MODERN BUSINESS WAGON. 

Considered as a Work of Art and as an Advertising Medium-Practical Instruc- 
tions which Cover the Various Classes of Business Vehicles— The Factory 
Method Explained-Painting Heavy Trucks and Farm Wagons-Popular 
Colors for Painting Business Wagons-Numerous Formulas for Painting 
Canvas and Cloth Tops 



viii. PBACTICAL CABRIAOE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

REPAINTING AND REVARNISHING VEHICLES. 

Full Description of Manner of Doing the Various Classes of Work — How to 
Match Colors — To Burn Off Paint — Tables of Materials Used in Painting 
Vehicles — Treatment of Tops and Dashes, Formulas for Dressings, Etc. — 
Method of Marking Vehicles — Washing Finished Work — Schedule of 
Prices for Repainting 117 

CHAPTER XIV. 

A PRACTICAL STUDY OF MATERIALS. 

White Lead — Importance of Its Purity — Quality of Colors in General — Adulter- 
ation as Viewed From the Painter's Standpoint — Purity of Raw Linseed 
Oil — Turpentine — Testing Coach Japan — Varnish 130 

CHAPTER XV. 

PAINTING CUTTERS AND SLEIGHS. 

Decorative Features of the Work — The Various Processes of Painting Fully De- 
tailed—The Anti-Kalsomine Method — Prevailing Colors — Striping and 
Scrolling — Instructions Bearing upon Repainting, Revarnishing, Etc. — 
With Nine Artistic Ornaments 139 

CHAPTER XVI. 

PACTS AND FORMULAS FROM THE PAINT SHOP DIARY. 

Many Practical Matters and Methods Briefly Stated — Blending of Colors — Spon- 
taneous Combustion — The Best Varnish Room — Remedy for Rusted Car- 
riage Springs — Painting Metallic Surfaces — Thinning Varnish — Painting 
a Natural- Wood Finislied Job — Repairing Bruised Surfaces — How to Make 
Varnish Go Wrong, Etc., Etc 148 



NDEX TO ADVERTISERS. 



Wm. Harland & Son ix. 

Chicago Varnish Co x. 

Murphy Varnish Co xi. 

John W. Masury & Son xii. 

Surrey Varnish Co xiii. 

Standard Varnish Works xiv. 

National Varnish Co xv. 

F. W. Devoe & Co xvi. 

John Lucas & Co xvii. 

O'Brien Varnish Co xviii. 

Moller & Schumann xviii. 

Western Painter xviii. 

Eagle White Lead Co xix. 

Felton, Sibley & Co. xix. 

C. A. Willey ." xx. 

John L. Whiting & Son Co xxi. 

Geo. E. Watson Co xxii. 

Valentine Varnish Co L xxiii. 



INTROD UCTOR Y. 



IN many of its elementary principles the art of carriage and wagon paint- 
ing as at present exemplified does not materially diflfer from the art as it 
was interpreted in the remote past. Processes and systems have 
changed and adapted themselves to the swifter modes of life, but not a few 
of the paint materials, especially those used in the foundation and surfacing 
coats, remain practically the same as used in former times. The P. W. F.'s, 
as surfacing agents expected to take the place of white lead and oil and their 
assistant pigments, tossed merrily upon the topmost wave of favor for a 
brief period some two decades ago, but the fiat of their decline went forth 
and at the present time the great majority of carriage and wagon painters 
still adhere to white lead, raw linseed oil, ochres, and regulation roughstuff 
pigments for their foundation materials, as did their instructors and 
predecessors. 

The abbreviated time allowance accorded the painter for the painting 
and finishing of a vehicle has made necessary a readjustment of proportions 
of both liquid and pigment ingredients which, it must be confessed, has 
operated in a way harmful to the natural durability of the material employed. 
The painter, however, can in no wise be held responsible for the general 
lack of durability which is said to distinguish the painting of the present as 
compared to that of the past. The great inexorable Public is the master, 
the painter its unwilling but submissive servant. 

Nevertheless, conditions of permanency and durability are still wrought 
and achieved in the modern field of carriage and wagon painting, conditions 
which conform, with a large measure of credit to the art of painting, to the 
other resultant durable effects obtained along nearly all other Hnes of 
industrial activity. 

Our painting today fails to excel the painting of tradition simply 
because the exactions of a wonderfully fast age tend directly to promote 
failure rather than to aid success. 

The job of painting which withstands fierce and continuous attacks of 
service for a reasonable length of time must be justly registered durable, 
regardless of what it would have been termed in the past. Past conditions 
and circumstances cannot fairly be used as yardsticks to measure what we 
at present call beautiful and enduring in the art of painting. 

In the matter ,of tools, appliances for handling work, colors and 
varnishes used, carriage and wagon painting, amid the advances made in all 
the other constructive departments of industry, has enjoyed improvement. 
Brushes in greater variety, finer in quality, and better adapted to the 



2 PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

practical needs of the painter, are in evidence. Colors of a wider range of 
hues, tints, shades, and incomparably finer as to quality than were obtain- 
able formerly, are now at the disposal of the painter. And the varnishes— 
surely they have been improved, made more reliable, more uniform in 
quality, better behaved and more suited to the ever-varying requirements of 
service. 

Carnage and wagon painting has become as much of a business as an 
artistic venture. Commercial conditions have of late years so shaped 
themselves that the painter, to successfully conduct a painting business, 
must of necessity study the profound science of business quite as thoroughly 
as he does the science of building paint structures and developing color 
effects. He imparts a moral, business, and mechanical force to the com- 
munity. He now has available sources of education more easily within his 
reach than at any former time. Paint trade literature, so far as it is 
represented in magazine form at least, is at hand to render him aid and 
encouragement. He is rapidly becoming better fitted to meet the expanding 
limits of competition, to critically analyze both the theory and practice of 
painting, to become, in short, a greater power for good in the community as 
well as a studious and original mechanic. 

In the inseparable community of business interests, the painting of the 
vehicular equipment has reached the level of a prominent industry. 

Its chief attainments are, firstly, to preserve the structural parts of the 
vehicle from the action of the elements; secondly, from the remorseless and 
gnawing tooth of service; thirdly, to aid in making the vehicle really 
beautiful, a work of art. 

The mission of the following chapters will be to record the systems, 
methods, and processes practiced in modern carriage and wagon painting, to 
the end that the apprentice — good luck to him, and may he pluck the peach 
from the sunniest side of the fence always — may be enlightened, that the 
already skilled workman may be interested somewhat, and that the trade of 
carriage and wagon painting may be welcomed as a delightful guest, worthy 
of enthusiastic entertainment. 



CHAPTER 1. 



M^^ 



THE SHOP AND ITS EQUIPMENT. 

"Give ample room and verge enough." — Gray. 

IT would not be fit nor seemly to lay down any arbitrary rules for the 
guidance of the painter in the selection or construction of the paint 
shop. Conditions and circumstances here control. But so far as the 

painter is able to have authority in the matter it should be directed in favor 

of large, roomy apartments, high ceilings, and a fine outfit of windows. 

lyight is an indispensable commodity in the paint shop. And room — there 

is never an excess of it. To do good work at a profit invokes an easy, 

commodious working space. To this end, 
therefore, the painter may well direct his best 
endeavors. Nor should the ventilation be 
neglected. A ventilator in quite common use, 
old-time but effective when the construction of 
the shop permits of its use, consists of the 
regulation stove pipe, say 12 inches in diame- 
ter and extending 18 
inches or 2 feet above 
the roof of the building, 
furnished at its upper 
extremity with a revolv- 
ing hood or cap. The 
local tinsmith usually 
has an invention of his 
own in the way of revolv- 
ing ventilators which is workable and nicely suited to 

the needs of the paint shop. Where ceiling ventilators 

are not practicable, apertures some 8 inches in diameter 

may be made in the walls well up toward the ceiling, one 

or two on each side of the room , according to the size and 

location, and into these apertures insert tin frames, 

both ends of which are covered with wire gauze, the 

gauze on the inside or room end of the fixture being 

fitted to a hinged lid frame. Into this tin and gauze 

compartment put clean curled hair or moss. Metal 

caps may be fitted to cover the inside opening of these 

ventilators, so that if necessary the air can be shut out 

entirely so far as entrance through these channels is Pig. 2-WHETi;L Jack. 





Fig. 1— Wheel Jack. 



U 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



concerned. There are numerous other styles of ventilators, but they do not 
call for mention, as local and individual needs will suggest the kind most 
feasible to adopt. 

The mixing bench should be located in a light corner 

of the' room. It should be furnished with a slab of marble 

or stone, preferably marble. A cupboard with tightly 

fitting doors should be over, or at the side of, the bench 

with specially prepared 

boards on which to wipe 

brushes near at ha:nd. A 

first-class paint mill should 

be a fixture in close prox- 
imity to the paint bench. 
The varnish room (sacred 

temple of the painter's hopes 

shall we say?), over which 

men rarely fail to disagree, 

needs to be every inch as 
large as conditions will permit. It should have ventilators, such as above 
described or similar, in plenty. The gauze and tin funnel ventilators might 
well be used near the floor and ceiling, thus driving the room impurities up 
and out. The varnish room cannot well be too large, nor too light, nor too 
cosy. Nor can it follow too closely the Quaker's code as to furnishings, for 
"unadorned, adorned the most" strictly applies to this historic apartment. 





Fig. 4- 



PlG. 3. 



-Long-Acre Body 
Trestle. 




AND Gear Trestle. 



It is agreed that the northeast corner of the shop is the best location for the 
varnish room. The north light is the most restful and the easiest light to 
work by, and it is esteemed the best drying ligTit. The room ought not to 
be placed immediately over the smith shop. It should have plenty of 
windows, north and east, and made to lower at the top. If possible, have a 
hardwood floor, and oiled, with ceiling and side walls of matched lumber, 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXJ) WAGON PAINTING. 5 

good quality and preferably painted white or some very light color, that it 
will reflect the light. Personally, I am in favor of blue colored shades for 
north windows and yellow ones for east and west windows. If possible, 
connect a "set room," provided with abundance of light, with the varnish 
room, into which the work may be removed the morning after finishing. 
The varnish room requires a small cupboard for holding varnish, cups, 
dusters, brushes, chamois skins, sponges, etc., a body4restle or two, a few 





Fig. 7 — Gear Frame. 



Fig. 8— Seat Frame. 



wooden, low-cut horses for supporting the varnished work, a stove, if the 
shop be not heated by other means, a sliding door or two, and — that's all. 

The colors, pigments, and brushes will be considered in their appropriate 
order as the chapters proceed. Many shop fixtures will be similarly 
presented. 

The work-handling appliances here furnished have been ob.served, 
studied, and many of them used by the writer in his travels up and down 
the land of paint shops. The revolving wheel jack is an indispensable 
fixture in the paint shop. Fig. 1 has a plank base, and an axle for a 




Fig. 9— Frame for Bodies. 





-Gear Horse. 



standard. The cut shows how it is made. Many shops use it. . Fig. 2 is 
frequently seen in provincial paint shops. It consists of a hardwood scant- 
ling of the size noted in the cut, with a ^-inch or ^-inch round iron stuck 
into one end and projecting 7 inches out. A hole to nicely take the iron is 
bored through the floor into a joist, a floor plate is placed over it, and the 
upright is ready to revolve. A tapering piece of round iron ^ inch at the 
base is driven through the upper end of the standard, having a projection of 
7 or 8 inches. A thick metal washer is then .slipped over the arm, thus 



6 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXB WAGON PAINTING. 



completing the fixture. Fig. 3 is largelj^ used in factory shops. It is the 
finest wheel jack extant. Observe the bottom. Almost au}^ foundry will 
cast one at from $1.25 to $1.50 each. Weight, from 40 to 60 lbs.; diameter, 
18 to 20 inches; hole for insertion of arm, 1 inch to 1^ inches. Weld stub 
axle to the round arm. Have varying sizes of axle stubs, from ^, ^, and 
1 inch tolj^ inches. This is a particularly fine jack for wheel striping 
purposes. Can be easily transferred to any part of the shop, and runs true. 
The I^ong-Acre body trestle, a I^ondon production, is often met with in 
the paint shop. Fig. 4 shows it in working order, on rollers, and the 
wheels connected with a wooden pin for a pivot. Fig. 5 is a second body 
trestle, neat, easy to work, and the cut quite completely explains how it is 
built. Height, and proportion of parts can be made to suit the individual 
fancy. Fig. 6 represents a combination body and gear trestle largely used 





iJJ 



Fig 11— Rubbing Deck. 



Fig. 12— Asphalt or Cement 
Deck. 



in factory paint shops. Height, 3 ft., 2 in. ; length of revolving frame pieces, 
27 in., 2x2 in. in size. A 4x4- inch piece 9 in. long supports the frame. 
Inclined pieces are 25 in. long; size, 2x2 in. The trestle is of hardwood, 
or should be, bolted together. Fig. 7, a gear frame, fits onto the frame of 
Fig. 6. It should be 4 ft., 6 in. long and 14 in. wide. It easily takes the 
shortest gears as well as the longest, and the workman is enabled to always 
obtain the best possible light. Fig. 8 is a seat frame made to fit the trestle, 
Fig. 6. Make it of 1-inch stuff". I^ength, 2 ft.; height at rear, 9 in.; front, 
2 in.; width, 13}^ in., to fit frame. This holds a carriage seat in capital 
shape for painting and finishing. Fig. 9 is a frame for holding bodies while 
varnishing them or while rubbing the varnish. One-inch pine boards 6 in. 
in width afford good material for the frame. lyCt it be /irom 32 to 36 in. 
high, about the same in length, and 27 in. wide. At top of standards bolt 



PEACTICAL CARBIAGE AXJJ WAGOX PAlNTINd. 



7xl-iiich pieces 6 in. long, containing steel brads to hold the work in place 
Fig. 10 IS a horse for holding carriage gears during the process of painting 
and finishing. Gear horses can't all be revolving ones, and this one is 
strong and handy to work around Make the legs of 3x1 j^ pine or ash and 
the bed piece, to which the iron standards are bolted, of ash 3x3 inches. 
Bolt the legs to the bed piece and stay them in the middle. The iron 
standards, ^, in. thick and 1% in. wide, are cranked over at right angles, as 
shown in cut, bolted firmly to bed piece, and at upper ends are hollowed out 
to hold the axle arms. Height of horse, 30 to 34 inches; width, wide 
enough to take a gear from 4 ft. to 5 ft. , 4 in. I,et the iron standards' go 30 
inches long, cranked at the middle. A rubbing deck for roughstufr" and 
varnish rubbing, washing up work, etc. , is a necessity even in the small 
shop. Fig. 11 explains an inexpensive one. A A is the shop floor, D the 
wall, B B the false or double floor inclining to the 
center, where a shallow metal gutter is let into the 
floor opening to a waste pipe which conveys all the 
waste matter outside the shop. The outer edges of 
the double floor rest upon stoutly-secured blocks of 

wood. Fig. 12 shows an 

asphalt or cement rubbing 

deck in general use in many 

leading shops. G is the 

shop wall, F the waste 

pipe, B the deck. The 

asphalt deck is not an ex- 
pensive fixture, neither 

wears nor rusts out, and, 

like Fig. 11, is a practical 

time saver. And along 
Fig. 13— Deck Barrel. •,, .i i i • j i ^i 
with the rubbmg deck the 

painter should adopt measures for securing a plentiful supply of clean .soft 

water for shop uses, and, if possible, have it piped directly to the rubbing 

deck. These are days of hard-fought business battles, and any aid that will 

out-foot one's competitor is an effective aid. A good water supply right at 

hand helps mightily. Fig. 13 is a deck barrel for holding a ready supply of 

water for the rubber; also for holding certain styles of carriage and cutter 

bodies while rubbing. The slit cut at an angle lets a bugg}', surrey, or other 

carriage seat in, and holds it fast while the rubbing proceeds. 

The varnish room stove, when one is forced to use such a fixture, gives 

the painter much concern. In Fig. 14 is to be observed a way of enclosing 

the stove in sheet-iron, after the fashion of the railroads once upon a time. 

Cut an opening in the wall separating the varnish room from some one of 

the other apartments, set the stove just inside the varnish room, inclose it 

in the sheet-iron cylinder, making the cylinder fit close into the wall open- 




FlG 




-Varnish Room 
Stove. 



8 PRACTICAL CARBIAGE ANB WAGON PAINTING. 

ing, and have the opening to the stove, and the stove door, reached from the 
room adjoining the varnish room. Even when wholly located in the varnish 
room such a cylinder, enclosing the stove all over, is a practical reducer of 
stove dirt, etc. 

Note. — Fig-s. 3, 5, -6, and 14 of this chapter, and Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter II. 
are published by permission of the Hub. 



CHAPTER II. 

BUYING AND SELECTING BRUSHES-CARE OF THEM-SOFTENING HARD 
BRUSHES-BRUSH KEEPERS-PRESERVING LIQUIDS-BRUSHES USED 
IN VEHICLE PAINTING, ETC. 

ONE conspicuously famous brush maker has declared the art of brush 
making to be "an art preservative." The carriage and wagon 
painter is deeply concerned in the achievements of that art, because 
every distinct advancement made therein makes possible an equally distinct 
advancement in the art of painting. To a greater extent, perhaps, than 
any other class of painters, the carriage and wagon painter should be interested 
in making up his brush equipment of tools of the best quality. The brush 
made of reliable stock, having the proper "hang" and point, and which 
balances like a "thoroughbred," is an economical tool to buy, regardless of 
the price. The vehicle painter requires a brush made scientifically, by the 
outlay of honest workmanship, and of material that is wholly above sus- 
picion. A brush that has simply the price to recommend it is usually an 
unreliable article and worketh evil, like a thief in the night, unexpectedly. 
In making choice of a brush for putting on priming, lead, and roughstuflf, 
and for such other features of general use as require a round or oval bristle 
brush, the painter may properh^ look at the filling of the tool. Deception, 
if practiced at all, is usually placed where it shows the least. The first-class 
brush is distinctively the brush that shows good quality — uniform quality — 

from center to outside. Other things 
being equal, the brush that is made 
up uniformly as to its bristle equip- 
ment will develop a good point, and 
all carriage painters are alive to the 
importance of this virtue in both paint 
and varnish brushes. 

Much of the usefulness of a brush 
depends upon the manner of caring for 
it when it conies into the paint shop. 
The bristle brushes used for priming, 
lead, and roughstuff require bridling 
until worn down somewhat. There, 
are man^' patent brush bridles now 
procurable at a nominal cost which 
tend to give a brush much better 




Fig. A 



10 



FBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



shape than the shop-made bridle. If these are not at hand, the painter can 
take "tufting cord" (our friends, the carriage trimmers, keep it) and wind 
the brush securel}^ but not too tightly; or he can take a piece of light weight 
rubber cloth and, extending the piece well down on the handle, tie it at the 





Fig. 2. 

proper distance around the bristles. The rubber side of the piece should be 
fastened next the bristles. Then, from where it is tied around the bristles, 
fold the piece back onto the handle and tie securely. Trim off, and a bridle 
is furnished that is perfectly water- and paint-proof, the cloth side of the 
rubber being folded inside. For a shop-made bridle the writer finds this a 
serviceable one. After bridling, drop a little oil paint into the heel of the 
brush and set it away in a dustproof compartment for a few days. Then 
use the brush for a time in oil paint, suspending the brush when not in use 
in raw linseed oil. In the course of two or three days 
the brush may be put into other paint if desired and 
suspended in water. Suspend the brush just up to 
the butts of the bristles, or so they are just covered, 
and invariably keep the water up to that point. 
Under no circumstances permit a brush to rest upon its 
point when not in use. It destroys the form of the 
tool and lessens its spring and elasticity. The bristle 
paint brushes require a clean storage quite to the 
extent that the color or varnish brushes do. There- 
fore, the receptacle in which they are kept should be 
fitted with a cover and should be tight enough to keep 
out all forms of dirt. A common tobacco pail pro- 
cured of the local grocery, painted inside and out. 




FIG. 3. 



fitted with a cover, and havinsr nails driven at certain 



PB ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AM) WAGON J'AINTIXG. 




Complete Set of Finishing (Plowing) Brushes. 





Camel-Hair Flowinc! Brush. 



Coach Duster. 



12 



PRACTICAL CARBIAQE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




distances apart all around it, one-third of the way down from the top, on 

which the brushes may be suspended, makes a cheap and excellent keeper 

for the ordinary paint brushes. 

Camel's hair color brushes may well have a little 

pitint, one-half oil and one-half turpentine, dropped 
into the heels of them. These brushes, used in japan 
ground colors, need to be kept suspended in water. 
Change the water frequently and make sure that it is 
clean. A brush keeper such as is recommended for 
varnish brushes is one of the best possible keepers for 
color brushes. It insures cleanliness. And vehicle 
]); anting without cleanliness is like unto a landscape 
painting with the beauties of nature left out. The 
brushes kept in water do better in rain water than in 
hard water. During the cold months, especially in 
shops where freezing is liable to occur, it is advisable 
to add a little glycerine to the water. The glycerine 
delays the freezing point and does not injure the 
brushes. Never soak a brush in water before using it 
in paint. Animal fat circulates in the capillary tubes 
of all bristles and hair, and if water 
is soaked into these arteries, tl 
spring and elasticity of the brush 
not only destroyed, but it speedi' 

becomes a very much water-logged tool. To swell up 

brush which for some cause has become dried out ar 1 

shrunken, part the bristles so that the end of the handl 

is exposed, and pour in a small quantity of water, sa 

three or four teaspoonfuls. Then stand it away, bristL 

up, handle down, for two or three hours and the brush wi 

have returned to its normal condition. If a brush handl 

gets smeared with paint or varnish, a wire scrub brusl 

dipped in a solution of sal soda will clean off the stick _, 

substance in short order. To test the bristles in a brush, 

remove some of them and submit them to a smart flame. 

Bristles, the real animal product, will curl and writhe and 

emit a peculiar odor. Noknown adulterant burns this way. 
A brush that has been allowed through accident or 

neglect to get "soggy" may be limbered up nicely by 

soaking in heated turpentine. Hardened brushes may 

often be softened into workable condition again by soak- 
ing the bristles in hot linseed oil. A simple soaking in turps or benzine 

will sometimes effect the needed softening up. Brushes, however, that have 

dried up, saturated with quick drying colors or paint, can at best never b^ 



Chiseled Paint 
Brush. 




Round Paint 
Brush. 



PRACTICAL CAmUAQE AXJ) WACOX PAIXTIXC. 



13 




Camel-Hair Col- 
or Brush. 



restored to a first-class working condition. The best form 
of economy, therefore, is to throw such brushes away. 
Remedies in impressive array have been marshalled where- 
with to restore varnish brushes that have become lousv, 
but the vehicle finisher recognizes no reliable or econom- 
ical remedy for the purpose named. A dirty varnish 
brush can be cleaned by washing in oil first, then in 
turps, and lastly worked in for putting on first rubbing 
coats, and thus gradually brought back to its original 
cleanliness. But the varnish brush once lousy, look you! 
a/ways lousy. Better 

"To the fire I now consisn thee, 
Peace unto thine ashes be." 

When a varnish brush is accidentally dropped on the 

floor while being used, pick 
,|1||it up carefully and, holding 
it at an acute angle, bristles 
lown, pour a small quan- 
-hus flooding the accumu- 




liversity of opinion as to 
in which to keep the var- 
and requirements are prob- 
matter of choosing preserv- 
brushes. When the brushes 
in big shops, it is a very 
raw linseed oil. Then, 



Oval Chiseled Var- 
nish Brush. 



tity of turpentine over it, 
lated dirt completely off. 

There is a considerable 
the best preserving liquid 
nish brushes. Local needs 
ably the safest guides in the 
ing liquids for varnish 
are used daily, as they are 
good way to keep them in 
every morning before be- 
ginning work, the bru.shes 
may be rinsed out in tur- 
pentine, wiped out clearly 

over the edge of the cup, and an elastic brush full of life 
is assured. 

Brushes used daily upon clean surfaces are, or should 
be, clean, and rinsing in turpentine can do no harm to a 
clean brush. But in the case of brushes u.sed ever}^ two 
or three days or occasionally, different treatment is 
needed. Such brushes are liable to be used upon sur- 
faces and amid surroundings less cleanly than those which 
obtain in the fine factory or custom shop, and the rinsing 
in turps, consequent upon preserving them in oil, would 
merely serve to loosen and set in motion the dirt and 
flocculent matter gradually collected and forced up into 
the body of the tools. For this reason it were better to Flowinc; Brush. 




B.\D(iKK-II.\IK 



14 



PRACTICAL CABRIAGE AXV WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 



keep them in finishing varnish or, preferably, brush keeping varnish, i. e., 
varnish minus its driers. Whatever the preservative, the brushes require 
the most watchful attention. If kept in finishing varnish, the liquid should 

be changed frequently. So delicate a tool, of 
which so much is expected, makes imperative 
the observance of gentle, cleanly treatment. 
Varnish brushes ought never to be left lying 
around for any considerable length of time when 
not in use. Dust is never idle, but always mov- 
ing and, like the dew of the evening, it falleth 
upon the just and the unjust, varnish brushes 
included. Have a stiff, partly- worn brush to 
clean the handles of varnish brushes. Wiping 
them with cloth distributes lint. 

In Fig. 1 is shown a double compartment 
brush keeper. It can be made of tin or zinc and 
is not expensive. Attach lock and key to it, and 
the brushes conditioned to a peerless trim are 
secure. Make the keeper 8 in. long, 5 in. wide, 
9 in. deep; outfit with spring fasteners, run wires 
through 3 in. from top, and ^ in. from bottom 
of the can locate a rack made of 
small wires criss-crossed on a 
light wire frame. The dirt 
which collects in the keeper goes to the bottom beneath the 
gauze rack, and should a brush fall into the preserving 
liquid it is held aloof from the dirt accumulations. These 
are regulation brush keepers, clean, durable, and cost in the 
neighborhood of $1. Fig. 2 represents the famous thirty- 
cent brush keeper, several times illustrated but still deserving 
a place here. It is claimed to be made upon scientific prin- 
ciples, namely, the break between the body of the keeper 
and its lid or cover occurs at the bottom and below the 
paint of brush suspension, instead, as in the ordinary 
keeper, at the top and above the point of suspension. It 
can be made of any size to meet individual needs. Such a 
can affords a splendid keeper for camel' s-hair color brushes 
and for color-and-varnish brushes. Fig. 3 displays what 
has been somewhat widely heralded as the western idea of a 
brush keeper, although the gentleman who first published a 
cut of the keeper and who, I believe, was the inventor of it, 
has seldom, if ever, been given credit for his ingenuity. M}'- veteran brother 
of the brush, Mr. V. B. Grinnell, is deserving of the thanks of the trade for 
his invention. It consists of an ordinary glass fruit can (^ metal top with 




Spoke Brush. 




Chiseled 
Fitch Tool. 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXJJ JVAGON rAINTINO. 



15 



e e c e o c e 




Pear Flow- 



rubber 'attachment is best), in which is located a tin cup, 
having a heavy wire soldered to it and projecting up to 
near the top of the can. This allows the cup to be easily 
removed from the top of the can. A second wire is soldered 
onto the first one so that it projects out horizontally over the 
cup, allowing for the suspension of the brushes in the liquid 
contained in the cup. The illustration shows how the keeper 
is made completely. Two or three brushes may be kept in 
each can, and they may be kept air-tight, too, a matter of 
moment to the vehicle painter. 

The vehicle painter's brush equipment should consist of 
a good assortment of round or oval bristle brushes for put- 
ting on priming, lead, and roughstuff. For the best grade of 
carriage painting, the chiseled brush is advised for the prim- 
ing and lead coats. In size they should run about 4-0. For 
working upon large surfaces, however, larger brushes will be 
needed, hence any exact size cannot be advised to meet all 
cases. Spoke brushes, dusters in plenty, flat chiseled bristle 
paint brushes, extra thick camel' s-hair color brushes, varying 
in size from 1 in. to 3 in., camel's-hair flowing brushes, 1}4 

to 2% in, in size, for applying color- and-varnish of some ing Varnish 

Brush 
kinds, chiseled badger hair brushes, double thick, 1 in. to 2 

in. for varnishing gears, oval chiseled sash tools for cleaning up surfaces 

and painting when needed certain parts of a vehicle, chiseled fitch tools for 

cleaning up panels, and lastly not less than four sets of varnish brushes for 

varnishing vehicle body surfaces, along with some oval or round chiseled 

varnish brushes required especially in wagon painting. 

The painter needs a set of at least three brushes, 1 in,, 1)4 in., and 2}^ 
in. in size, for varnishing the inside surfaces of bodies, these to be used for 
no other purpose. Then, properly, he should have a set of brushes for 
putting on first rubbing varnish coats, consisting of a 1-inch chiseled badger 
hair brush, and a 2j4 in. and one 3 -in. bristle brush. Then another set of 
the same number for the remaining rubbing coats. 

The finishing kit of brushes may properly consist of five chiseled half 
elastic flowing brushes, as follows: One 1-in. , one l^^-inch, one 2-in., one 
2i^-in., one 3-in. Some finishers prefer a 1-in. badger hair brush for 
flowing the edges of the panels, but the set of flowing brushes herewith 
illustrated answers every purpose fully and completely. The' art of fine 
brush making has so far advanced wilhin recent j^ears that it is now possible 
to get varnish brushes which require but very little working in varnish to 

prepare them for flowing 

on the finishing coats. 

To clean a new var- 

Long-Handled Spoke Brush. nish brush preparatory 




16 



PBACTJCAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



to using it as a finishing brush, first draw the stock of the 
tool through the fingers, continuing this operation until the 
loose dirt is quite fully worked out. Then 
repeatedl}^ submerge it in clean linseed oil 
and wipe out over the edge of a cup, after 
which use it for a week or two in rubbinr^ 
varnish. The brush may then safely be used 
for applying finishing coats of varnish. 

All brushes not specially mentioned in the 
foregoing as round or oval brushes are as- 
sumed to be flat, this style of brush being 
the one chiefly employed in vehicle painting. 
In the matter of camel' s-hair, badger hair, 
and flowing varnish brushes, the painter de- 
sires said brushes to be tough, durable fibre, 
having soft ends, elastic, and which wear soft 
until worn out. 

In selecting the brush equipment, it is a most happy 
mental exercise to remember that the highest type of brush, 
if not mightier than the sword, at least hath its victories. jj^^ Varnish 

The numerous accompanying excellent illustrations of Brush. 
brushes specially adapted to the needs of the carriage and 
wagon painter are the result of valuable and courteously exteneded assistance 
tendered by that celebrated brush making firm, John L. Whiting and Son 
Co., Boston, Mass. 




Oval, Chis- 
eled Sash 
Tool. 




CHAPTER III. 

PRIMING— LEAD COATS— RUB LEAD— KNIFING LEAD— PUTTY AND PUTTY- 
ING— SANDPAPERING— ROUGHSTUFF, APPLYING AND RUBBING IT- 
MATERIALS USED IN FOUNDATION COATS— MIXING FORMULAS, ETC. 

FINE and durable carriage and wagon painting cannot be accomplished 
upon foundations in anywise weak or unstable. The supreme aim 
of the painter, then, should be to begin at the base of the foundation 
and, with patient toil and skill, aided by materials of recognized value, 
bring up a surface of uniform excellence and quality. 

MATERIALS. 

White lead and raw linseed oil; an invincible combination in the old 
days — shall we not say invincible still? Assuredly, nothing surpasses it 
today when conditions are favorable to its proper treatment; nothing upon 
the horizon of coming events bids fair to surpass it. It is only when the 
limitations of time intervene, when we must perforce bow down and worship 
the great American idol. Hurry, that the sinewy strength and permanency 
of white lead, linseed oil, and the few other constituents which enter into 
the foundation coats, are seriously shattered. 

White lead, for example, must of necessity figure as an elemental part 
of the lead coats, if not of the priming, of putty, and of roughstuff. It is 
not now impossible to find primers being used entirely devoid of lead, but 
the burden of proof remains favorable to the excellence of lead. A pigment 
filler is quite as necessary as a liquid one. And pure white lead, Dutch 
process, if it please my readers — observe its properties in this respect: It is 
of great density, body, permanent to a rare degree, of impalpable smooth- 
ness when properly ground, and chemically unites with oil, forming a kind 
of varnish, which makes it a filler and pore sealer of great value. In 
addition, it absorbs more oil, solidifies it, and remains elastic for a greater 
length of time, except red lead perhaps, than any other pigment so far 
discovered. Moreover, it mixes happily with all other pigments which do 
not contain a sulphur ingredient. Briefly, these are the properties which 
recommend it to the carriage painter. Its noble running mate, raw linseed 
oil — what of it as a paint oil ? Its chief virtue lies in the fact that when 
exposed to the air' it gradually, in drying, absorbs a large proportion of 
oxygen, which, it is declared by Hurst, "forms a new compound of a 
resinous character," remarkably elastic and stable. 



18 PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

Since the failure of the P. W. F.'s and various other substitutes for the 
historic lead and oil surfacing agents, to meet the exacting needs of the 
trade, the swift processes now practiced have pressed into service time 
quickening aids which, in a work of this kind, it would scarcely seem fit to 
omit. 

Many painters have adopted yellow ochre as a main ingredient for 
priming, and in particularly hurried instances, or, in fact, in the priming of 
a certain grade of regular factory work, varnish and, to some extent, 
turpentine are used. Ochre of good quality, finely ground (a coarse ground 
ochre is worthless in carriage painting), and containing a strong percentage 
of silica, is a valuable component of priming. Silica is an acknowledged 
pore filler, and in many of the wood fillers heralded along the highway of 
commerce it is the piece de resistance. A high grade ochre is a good drying 
and a very permanent pigment. It is a first-class surfacing material and not 
easily affected by atmospheric or other impurities. Thus we have the 
ingredients which, properly combined and manipulated, form the basis of all 
beautiful and durable carriage painting as guaged according to present day 
standards. Let us now consider the separate parts of the foundation 
building. 

PRIMING. 

Priming is the agent required to go into and saturate the minute cells 
and pores of the wood, getting a firm grip of the fibers, sealing them 
against moisture, and affording the painter a tough, elastic ground for his 
leveling materials to follow. 

Primer No. 1. — White lead and raw linseed oil, darkened to a leaa coior 
with lampblack. A teaspoonful of coach japan to be added to each pint of 
the mixture, or omitted, as the time limit may impose. 

No. 2. — White lead, 2 parts; yellow ochre, 1 part. Liquid, raw linseed 
oil. The use of japan to depend upon circumstances. 

No. 3. — White lead, 1 part; yellow ochre, 2 parts. Liquid, raw linseed oil. 

No. 4. — White lead, 1 part; yellow ochre, 2 parts. Liquids, rubbing 
varnish y{; turpentine 34^; raw linseed oil y^,. A tablespoonful of japan to 
each quart of the mixture. This is a very quick primer, that can be sand- 
papered the day following its application. 

No. 5. — White lead, shaded with lampblack. Liquids, rubbing varnish 
1 part; raw linseed oil 5 parts. 

In the above formulas keg lead is referred to. 

Priming should contain just enough pigment to stain the oil. Only in 
this form does it perform the functions of a primer. Some hardwood 
surfaces, negative in composition, require a priming thinned somewhat with 
turpentine; otherwise such close textured spaces of wood are not sufl&ciently 
penetrated by the oily particles of the priming. The durability of the 
priming rests largely upon the penetration of the oil into the arteries of the 
wood along with a certain necessary per cent, of the pigment. 



PBACTICAL CABEIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



19 



It i^a good plan not to follow the surfacing of a job in the wood shop 
too closely with the priming. Immoderate pressure of the wood fibres 
usually results from the pressure of the wood worker's leveling methods. 
Give the wood time to expand before priming, but not time to absorb 
moisture. Graining out of surfaces often results from priming a surface too 
soon as well as too late. Many factors must necessarily be considered in 
order to have the priming coat do all that it should do. The condition of 
the wood, the climate, season, atmosphere, etc., all require diligent study. 
The application of the priming to the surface deserves particular attention. 
Granted that first-class filling and surfacing pigments, combined with liquids 
rich in gummy resinous matters, make the ideal primer, the coating fails of 
its mission when practices of neglect mark its application to the surface. 

Therefore, apply the priming smoothly and 
in a uniform film to the surface. Coat all 
parts of a job, outside, top, bottom — every- 
where. Insist upon its being well brushed 
out — ^just as any coat of paint should be. 
THE LEAD COATS. 
What we shall be pleased to term "first 
lead' ' was formerly made of white (keg) lead 
thinned to a brushing consistency with lin- 
seed oil and turpentine, half and half. That 
was at a time when egg-shell gloss coats 
were in demand. A different principle has 
been established of late years in reference to 
the composition of the lead coats, and the 
egg-shell gloss is now regarded with suspi- 
cion and, to a large extent, abandoned 
altogether. 

Consequently, the first lead should be 

mixed of ^a oil to .^s turps, or even with a 

still smaller percentage of oil if the limitations of time so direct. Apply 

this lead with a bristle brush and enforce rigidly the rule of smoothness and 

sleek brushing out. 

"Second lead" means in modern paint shop lingo "flat lead" — a lead 
that dries to a dull, lustreless appearance, practically "dead lead." It is 
composed of white lead, thinned to a working consistency with turpentine, 
and given a binder of oil to the extent of, say fi of a tablespoonful of oil to 
a pint of the lead. These lead coats should properly contain 1 teaspoonful 
of japan to a pint of the lead, and be shaded with lampblack. The flat, or 
dead, lead is best applied with a camel' s-hair brush. 

RUB LEAD. 
In connection with these lead coats attention must be directed to the 
rub lead process as a part of the system of lead surfacing now practiced in 




Putty-Holder. 



20 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AKI) WAGON PAINTING. 

the leading shops of the country. The rub lead is usually used directly 
upon the priming coat. There are several formulas in circulation for the 
mixing of the lead, but the writer thinks the one here given (used in the 
leading factor)^ paint shops) covers the painter's practical needs fully. Mix 
dry v^^hite lead to a grinding consistency in ^ raw linseed oil to }( japan, 
the liquids to be carefully measured. Add enough lampblack to give the 
mixture a clean slate color, then run through the paint mill, after which 
reduce to a brushing consistency with the proper proportions of oil and 
japan. Make the lead just stiff enough to brush on with a fairly stiff bristle 
brush. Apply to the surface and, after permitting the mixture to take on a 
"tack" for a quarter of an hour or more as the drying conditions of the 
apartment may be favorable or otherwise, proceed to rub the lead into the 
surface with the palm of the hand. For getting a fine, velvety, and very 
dense surface of pigment, the rub lead system has no rival. However, it 
cannot be worked over and re-coated so soon after being applied (it should 
be given 48 hours in which to dry) as can the knifing lead. This 

KNIFING LEAD, 
or "glazing lead," or "draw putty," as it is variously and locally known, 
renders it possible to quickly fill and level up a surface, making it compact 
and solid as to texture. 

Knifing lead, No. 1. — Dry white lead ji; keg lead yi. lyiquids, rub- 
bing varnish and japan, thinning to the exact working consistency with a 
little turps. 

No. 2. — Dry white lead, mixed in equal parts of rubbing varnish and 
japan. 

No. 3. — Dry white lead ^; keg lead }{; roughstuff filler (finely ground) 
}i. lyiquids, rubbing varnish )4] japan ^; turpentine ){. This last for 
large panels. 

These leads should all be colored slightly in the direction of the final 
color to be used upon the work. Carriage and wagon painters use knifing 
lead on running parts very largely, and especially upon work that must be 
gotten out quicker than the rub lead would permit. On the panels of 
business wagons of the medium grade, knifing lead is used to the exclusion 
of roughstuff. On such panels it is advisable to apply the lead with a 
bristle brush, applying the lead to the surface a little heavier in body than 
ordinary paint, and then shortly going over it with a broad blade putty 
knife, pressing the pigment into the wood and removing the surplus. 

Knifing lead deserves to be used and applied with circumspect care and 
skill if the best and most durable results would be achieved. It demands a 
firm pressing into the cellular fabric of the wood, accompanied by a clean, 
tidy removal of all the pigment not actually necessary to the full and 
complete development of the surface. But little sandpapering should be 
needed to fit it for any of the succeeding coats of material. 

In the painting of running parts of the best grade, when rub lead or 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 



21 




knifing lead is employed, the second lead, previously designated as "flat" or 

"dead" lead, should be employed over the rub or knifing lead, the puttying 

of the deep cavities and indentations being done directly upon said rub or 

knifing leads. 

PUTTY— MAKING AND USING IT. 

Putty No. 1. — The putty of history — past, present, and shall we say ot 

the future? — so far 
as history applies 
to carriage paint- 
ing, is this putty 
Spatula. ^^^^ Dry white 

lead, japan and rubbing varnish, the liquids of equal proportions. Probably 
the best known putty in the jobbing carriage paint shop today. 

No. 2. — Dry white lead ^; keg lead }(. Rubbing varnish and japan, 
half and half. 

No. 3. — Keg lead, 4 parts; dry white lead 1 part. Rubbing varnish 
and gold size japan, equal parts. 

No. 4, a putty for white work. — Dry white lead }^; pulverized steatite 
or soapstone %; dry oxide of zinc }i; dry silica }i. Liquids, verj^ pale 
rubbing varnish yi; light (in color) japan y^,; turpentine yi. 

No. 5. — Dry white lead 7-3; keg lead ^. Rubbing varnish and japan, 
equal proportions. Into this mix the woof or fine pickings of velvet or 
plush. This is especially intended to be used around glass in heavy vehicles. 

No. 6. — This is a putty to be used on old work having rough cavities, 
splintery crevices, and the like. It cannot be sandpapered, but will dry 
tough, neither chipping nor flaking. Keg lead 1 part; whiting 2 parts. 
Mix stiff" in thick varnish and raw linseed oil, equal parts; then thicken up 
to the right consistence with dry white lead. 

No. 7. — For shallow cavities requiring a filling that dries quick and 
hard. Dry lead 3 parts; plaster of paris 1 part. Equal parts of quick 
rubbing varnish and japan. 

No. 8. — Deep hole putty. Whiting mixed with raw linseed oil and 
japan, equal parts. Then into this mixture mix plush woof. Drive a small 
head tack or two 
in bottom of hole 




Square Point Putty Knife. 



and then fill in 

nearly level with 

the surface with 

this putty. Slash 

a couple of openings into it with putty knife to quicken the drying, and 

then in due time level up with regular putty. 

No. 9. — Expansive shallow dents in a carriage surface require a peculiar 
kind of putty or cement. Finely ground pumice stone 3 parts; dry lead 1 
part. Mix to a working condition in thick glue. Apply the putty so that 



22 PRACTICAL CAIiRlAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

it will show some above the surface. After 10 hours rub down with lump 
pumice stone and raw linseed oil. 

No. 10. — Here is a putty that will stick and at the same time sandpaper 
nicely. Shade dry lead with a little lampblack, and mix with ^ coach 
japan and }( rubbing' varnish, along with a dash of turpentine. 

The carriage painter will do well to use sparingly of whiting — even 
gilder's whiting— in making a putty intended for use upon fine surfaces. 
Whiting, or, in the speech of the chemist, carbonate of calcium, is a hard 
drying, tenacious, stout sticking pigment, but possesses the ever present 
property of granulating and working coarse and gritty under the putty 
knife. 

When coloring matter is added to putty, be governed by what the final 
color of the job is to be. Hammer putty well on the mixing block to make 
it tough and elastic. Do this at the time of making it and before use in 
order to expel the accumulated moisture. Make it in sufiicient quantity to 
last for some time. Keep the putty in water in a dust proof holder — an air 
tight one is better. See putty-holder illustrated herewith. 

The way in which putty is applied has largely to do with making it 
serve the surface good or ill. Good puttying is not accomplished by nimble 
feats of jugglery. The putty knife demands to be skillfully handled and 
wisely directed. Putty, in the economy of carriage painting, is quite as 
indispensable as paint or varnish. In point of fact, each is dependent upon 
the other. ' Just enough is a critical point in deciding how much and how 
little of putty a surface requires. Here are four rules for guidance in the 
art of puttying: 

1. — Never putty on the priming coat. 

2. — Putty all work as smooth as possible. It is economy and increases 
the chance for producing first-class work. 

3. — Avoid, always, puttying a crevice, depression, or cavity in the wood, 
or a joint between two pieces of wood, that is subject to diverse forms of 
resistance. The wrenching and twisting of the vehicle will loosen the 
putty and eventually eject it. 

4. — In puttying over nails, plugs, etc., press the pigment firmly into the 
hole, filling just level with the surface, and carefully slick up all surplus 
putty. 

The painter will need for general puttying purposes, in addition to a 

spatula or two (which see), at least four different styles of putty knife; one 

large or wide blade knife, a two-inch blade say, one square point blade, 

ordinary size, one beveled point, and one oval point. Knives of different 

shapes will greatly facilitate the labor of puttying, which at best is often 

tedious. 

SANDPAPERING 

If it were feasible, sandpaper would, no doubt, be voted down and out 
of the paint shop. At present, however, it cannot well be removed from the 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXIJ WAGON PAIXTIXG. 



23 




Beveled Point Putty Knife. 



s3'-stem of carriage surfacing. The task of sandpapering, viewed from its 
rosiest side, is toilsome, dirt-inviting, girt up by a waistband of unpleasant 
features, but, alas ! we must have level and smooth surfaces if we would 
have beautiful ones, and sandpapering affords the means of getting them. 
It is one of the aids — one of the great aids, let us bear in mind — to the 

admirable surface 
effects sought for 
in the art of car- 
riage painting. It 
cannot be slighted 
or to any extent 
be done imperfectly without marring the appearance or subtracting from the 
durabilit)^ of the surface when finished. 

The use of sandpaper begins before even the priming coat has taken its 
position. A surface well sandpapered ahead of the priming coat saves a 
great deal of time and leaves plenty of the priming film on the surface 
where it is needed. No. 1 paper is the proper size to surface the priming 
coat, if the surface has previously been well smoothed. The No. ^ will do 
for first lead. This coat requires a very thorough and uniform going over, 
touching completely all places that need it, touching none with a coarse 
hand, and never laying bare a flicker of wood needing a full depth of 
protecting pigment. The second lead, or "dead lead" as we know it, should 
require only a light going over with No. paper, this to be followed by 
polishing with curled hair or fine moss used by trimmers. 

The rub lead and knifing lead coats usually respond to the smoothing 
caress of No. ^, or finer, paper, the size depending upon the quality of 
these coats. All along through the system of painting, sandpaper must 
needs sound its smoothing monotone, but particularly upon the primary 
coats does the painter use it as the fulcrum by which, among other aids, he 
seeks to rear his paint foundation into a tower of strength. 

Mouldings, clips, bolt heads, difficult places to work up to, everywhere 
bespeak the same thorough touch of the sandpaper. There are many sharp 
edges about a vehicle which may be denuded of pigment at a single rasp of 
the paper. Such 

parts require a j^^' ' "^"^-—mm?-!: ■ ■- ^Wii'lt*^ 

good measure of 
protection, other- 
wise flaking and 
chipping of the 

paint and varnish must naturally follow. The painter may well strive to 
make the work of sandpapering an exact operation— exact as to thorough- 
ness as applied to all parts of a surface, and exact as to a uniformity of results. 
In company with the labor of sandpapering must be considered du.sting. 
The latter should be cleanly and tidily done, quite as thorough, indeed, as 




Oval Point Putty Knife. 



24 PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AKB WAGON PAINTING. 

the sandpapering or any other of the operations, all alike important. "We 
now come to an article indispensable to the painter in arriving at a state of 
perfection regarding smoothness of surface. 

ROUGHSTUFF— HOW MADE, APPLIED, AND RUBBED. 

Webster defines '^'rough" as "having inequalities, small ridges, or points 
on the surface," and "stuff" as "refuse or worthless matter." But, com- 
bining the two words into one — roughstuff — the painter construes the term 
to mean something different from the construction put upon it by the eminent 
lexicographer when he cleaved it evenly in twain. 

Without the coarse mineral pigments known as "fillers," white lead, 
and the liquid mediums used to properly unite and weld them together and 
denominated roughstuff when ready for use. the painter, in his effort to 
make satisfactorily level and smooth surfaces, would be in almost as sorry a 
plight as the mariner bereft of his compass. For, mark j^ou, gentle confreres! 
roughstuff is essential to carriage body surface elegancies and mirror-like 
effects! 

FAVORITE FORMULAS. 

No. 1. — To 3 lbs. of any American filler add 1 lb. keg white lead. Beat 
well together; then reduce to a thick paste with rubbing varnish and japan, 
after which thin to brushing consistency with turps. This is a safe one- 
coat-per-day 'stuff. 

No. 2. — Kqual parts of filler (excepting English) and keg lead, by 
weight, reduced to a heavy paste in quick rubbing varnish and japan, and 
then cut with turps to the proper consistency. Two coats per day may be 
safely applied. 

No. 3. — Five lbs. filler (still excepting KngHsh); 2^ lbs. keg lead; yi 
elastic rubbing varnish; yi japan. This is a 'stuff for fine, heavy coach 
work. Apply coat every 72 hours. Do not rub out under three weeks. 

No. 4. — (A lyondon formula.) Dry white lead, ground stiff in turpentine, 
1^ lbs.; ochre, or English filling, ground stiff in turpentine, 4 lbs. Mix 
the two and add ^ lb. of tub lead. Add 1 pint of japan gold size and 
about Y-z pint of the bottoms of wearing varnish. Reduce with a little 
turpentine if necessary. This is a very durable and elastic 'stuff. 

No. 5. — (M. Arlot's formula.) "Grind separately lump white lead with 
essence of turpentine, and do the same with unwashed yellow ochre; then 
mix the two pastes in the proportion of ^ of white lead and ^ of ochre. 
Allow the mixture to stand exposed to the air or to a gentle heat in order to 
evaporate the excess of liquid, and add gradually small portions of good 
drying oil, taking care to stir and beat the mixture well with a brush, as in 
distemper painting. The paste thus acquires more body." Concerning this 
'stuff the author adds: ' 'It is possible with this composition to give three coats 
in a day's work, but after the last coat we must wait 48 hours for drying." 

No. 6. — English filler 3 lbs.; keg lead 1 lb. Rubbing varnish and 
japan, half and half, to make a stiff paste. Thin with turpentine. 



PBACTICAL GAIilUAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



25 



I 



No. 7. — English filler, mixed stiff with rubbing varnish, %; japan ]4. 
Thinned with turpentine. 

Probably genuine English filler has but few, if any, equals, and 
certainly no superiors as a roughstuff pigment. It polishes down very close 
and compact as to texture, giving a glass-like, non-porous surface. It 
requires less lead than other fillers, because of which property it was 
specially mentioned as excluded from formulas 2 and 3. It does not 
surface down as easily as some of the American fillers, a fact that has 
probably limited its use largely. 

In using keg lead for roughstuff, a moderately stiff ground lead is advis- 
able. A lead ground in an excess of oil will necessitate washing in turps to 
expel a portion of the oil, if the proper proportions of ingredients would be 
maintained. In mixing roughstuff, it pays to be exact as to proportions and 
quantities. Use first-class materials, varnish, japan, etc. Slops and refuse 
from varnish and japan cans are to be avoided. They leave the user in a 
state of uncertainty as to the composition of his 'stuff. If made in consid- 
erable quantities at a time, the pigment should be stored in a tight, dust-free 

receptacle and well covered with 
water or turps, else it will very 
soon become gummy and unsuit- 
able for good work. 

The chief mission of roughstuff 
is to enable the painter to get a 
firm, hard, level surface. It re- 
quires putting on with a good 
brush, and a skilled and painstak- 
ing wielder of the tool. Rough- 
stuff should be carried to a surface a little heavier in body than ordinary 
paint, but its spreading and flatting property should in no wise be made 
sluggish and "ropy" by the absence of thinning mediums. Better an 
additional coat of 'stuff than one coat less because of the excessively thick 
coats used. Roughstuff, like all quick setting pigments, needs to be applied, 
brushed out, and leveled quickly under the brush, so that brush marks may 
not intrude or uniformity in depth of film be wanting. Use a brush suited 
to the size of the panel; likewise a brush with a softness and fineness of 
point and sufficient elasticity to insure, if properly wielded, freedom from 
brush marks. Too heavy a pigment is no more a prolific cause of brush 
marks than a too nearly worn out brush. If the first coat of 'stuff is laid 
on the panel with horizontal strokes of the brush, let the second be laid with 
vertical ones, and vice versa. On a well-surfaced job, four coats should 
suffice. Where greater inequalities of the surface exist, more coats will be 
necessary. But it is an established maxim in both the practice and theory 
of carriage painting that the less roughstuff used upon a surface, granted 
that the quantity accords perfectly with the needs of the surface, the greater 
the durability of the paint and varnish structure. 




Paint Strainer. 



26 PRACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

The successful user of roughstuff is one who duly considers the 
importance of having a correctly-proportioned, finely-balanced mixture 
skillfully applied to the surface amid surroundings favorable to its prompt 
and thorough drying. 

A guide coat to be used over roughstuff is made of a little of the 'stuff 
colored a bit with yellow ochre or Venetian red and thinned down consider- 
ably thinner than the 'stuff, with turpentine. 

The workman who has roughstuff to rub requires, as an outfit, plenty 
of clean water right at hand, a good sponge, chamois skin, and a varied 
assortment of rubbing stones and bricks. The rubbing brick product, of 
German origin, has been considerably improved of late years; to such an 
extent, in fact, that it is now possible to obtain it as fine as wished for, and 
running from that up to a very coarse quality. However, for the ver)^ high 
class work, the natural lava, or pumice stone, is not to be surpassed. The 
quality of the rubbing accomplished depends much upon the selection of the 
blocks of pumice stone. The blocks of light weight, open grain, tunneled 
with innumerable air cells, are to be preferred for good cutting properties. 
Immersed in water, they float instead of sinking. The buoyancy of a piece 
of lava determines its porosity and its cutting power. This kind of stone 
may be used until the surface is well reduced, when, preferably, the stone of 
closer texture and tighter grain may next be used and continued in use until 
the final dressing up has been concluded. Select stones of large cutting 
surface. After the sawing, filing, and necessary dressing up of the stone in 
preparing it for the surface, it merits a thorough washing and rinsing to 
cleanse it from all minute atoms of grit, etc. In the actual work of rubbing 
a surface, keep the surface well washed to prevent gumming of the stone 
and to enable the eye to see just what the mind and muscle are doing; but 
do not flood the work with water. The rubbing stone is doing its work 
properly when, under an even, gentle pressure, it cuts smooth and free with 
a clinging, adhesive motion. When a particle of grit becomes lodged under 
the stone there will be a rolling, jarring motion, easy for even an unpracticed 
hand to detect, provided vigilant attention is being directed upon the work. 
When scratching of the surface occurs, the rubbing stone requires smooth- 
ing off with another stone, and the surface, stone, etc., given a thorough 
rinsing with clean water. Circular, zig-zagging motions of the stone are 
ill-advised. Straight, clean strokes, all directed in one general direction, 
are best and most effective. A surface is not always rubbed sufficiently fine 
when the guide coat disappears. The guide coat may be but a mere wash 
and disappear almost completely under a few strokes of the stone. The 
disappearance of such a guide (?) coat is not evidence that the proper surface 
has been reached. By repeatedly drawing the hand, with a good pressure, 
across the surface at right angles with the direction that governed the 
laying off of the final coat of filler, the workman can-very accurately decide 
when an adequately fine surface has been reached. 



PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 27 

To determine when a surface has been rubbed just enough usually gives 
the inexperienced rubber no little difficulty, but with practice he will master 
the accomplishment. On moulded panels it is advisable to rub the edges of 
the surface first, as it will lessen the tendency to thrust the stone forcibly 
against the moulding, thus chipping off atoms of stone to be ground into the 
surface later on. 

Rubbing the roughstuff is the final process in the art of developing the 
comely and durable foundation. Does not the ivork, then, merit a full 
measure of skill, alertness, and patience in its execution ? 



CHAPTER IV. 

PRISMATIC AND OBJECTIVE COLOR— HARMONIZING AND CONTRASTING 
COLORS— MIXING COLORS— TESTING THEM— ASSAYING FOR OPACITY, 
COLORING STRENGTH, BRILLIANCY, ETC.— TABLE FOR COMPOUNDING 
COACH COLORS, HUES, AND TINTS. 

WHIIyK colors, as we know them, differ from each other, they exist, 
according to the generally accepted theory, as simply different 
movements of the same element. The immense ocean of ether, 
which is in all space, is one, and the colors are all waves of that one ocean. 

When a ray of light undergoes a change of direction it is divided into 
many minor rays, which to our visual sense are represented as colors. As, 
for example, if a ray of white light be directed through the edge of a 
triangular prism so that its course is bent or refracted, the ray is divided into 
several different rays of colors, these being thereby termed spectrum colors. 

It is practically agreed by authorities that the rainbow affords the most 
complete illustration of spectrum colors, these being formed by the passage 
of light through the spray or drops of water in a shower. Color, then, may 
be said to be due to the action of light. Hence the established dictum, 
namely, white is a reunion of all the colored rays of the prismatic spectrum. 
It is a basic element in every color except black, and, as a color, black 
figures as an absolute neutral, it being devoid of white light. 

The conditions and circumstances which unite to produce the varying 
and various color sensations have never yet been unanimously agreed upon 
by the eminent color theorists. The practical man may thread the remotest 
confines of color theories as expounded by Newton, Brewster Jones, Field, 
Rood, Young, and others, until his adventures bring him out on the toil- 
won heights and stupendous summits of the modern science of colors, and 
what he beholds will simply tend to confuse his intellect and more than ever 
convince him that the mastery of color laws remains yet to be accomplished; 
that no unalterable rule can be successfully applied to the theory of color. 
To those of my readers who desire to explore deeply into the recesses of 
color science, I would recommend the works by the afore-mentioned colorists. 
It is the purpose to deal in this chapter, so far as possible, with the more 
practical aspects of the science. 

Objective color, as distinguished from what is termed illusive or pris- 
matic color, is confined to those substances or materials endowed with the 
selective property for absorbing the colored rays from the /light which is 



PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGOX PAINTING. 29 

imparted to them, and which, in the technology of painting, are known as 
pigments. 

The colors which make up the three orders usually, but not invariably, 
recognized by modern colorists, and which practically apply to the needs of 
the vehicle painter, may be placed as follows:* 

Primary Colors Secondary Colors Tertiary Colors 

Red Green Russet 

Yellow Purple Citron 

Blue Orange Olive 

Carmine, ultramarine blue, and lemon chrome yellow most nearly 
approach to the prismatic colors, and, taking them for the primaries, we 
»1nd, according to the deductions of Chevreul and others, that in propor- 
aonal strength they rank thus: Yellow, the weakest, 3; red, medium, 5; 
blue, strongest, 8. To form the secondary colors, yellow, 3 parts, and blue, 
8 parts, produces green, which is the contrasting color to red, the contrasting 
primary being always the color not contained in the secondary. Purple, the 
contrast to yellow, contains red, 5 parts; blue, 8 parts. Orange, the contrast 
to blue, has red, 5 parts; yellow, 3 parts. Any color in the secondary 
column opposite a color in the primary column is the contrasting color to 
that primary, and in the tertiary column, the tertiary opposite any given 
secondary may be accepted as the harmonizing color to that secondary's 
contrasting primary; as, for example, yellow, the primary, has purple as its 
contrasting, and citron as its harmonizing, color. In like manner russet 
harmonizes with red and olive with blue. The tertiaries may be produced 
by uniting the secondaries in equal proportions, or by the primaries being 
combined in the proportion of 2 parts of any given primary and 1 part of 
each of the two remaining primaries. For instance, olive is made of purple 
and green, both secondaries, or it may be made of blue, 2 parts, and 1 part 
each red and yellow. Citron is made from green and orange; russet from 
orange and purple. Referring to the three different orders of colors, it will 
be found that experiment will enable one to effect many changes in the 
development of color harmony. Any one color of any of the three orders 
will harmonize with the colors which contrast with the remaining two colors 
of the same order. Take the primary, blue. The contrasting colors to the 
remaining two primaries are purple and green, with which blue harmonizes. 
The contrasts to the primaries, red and blue, are respectively green and 
orange, with which the third primary, yellow, harmonizes. Or red will 
harmonize with the contrasts to the primaries, yellow and blue, which are 
purple and orange. Continuing the experiment to the secondary colors, it 
is found that green harmonizes with citron and olive, the contrasts to the two 
remaining secondaries, purple and orange; purple harmonizes with russet 
(russet contains a double share of red, bear in mind) and olive, both being 

*With apologies to Mr. W. G. Scott and others who have published similar but 
more elaborate and scientiflc presentations. 



30 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXB WAGOX PAINTING. 

contrasts to orange and green, the other secondaries. Orange harmonizes 
with citron and russet, the contrasts to purple and green. 

These experiments in the domain of color contrasts and harmony might 
be pursued indefinitely, but the above will suffice to afford the student who 
essays thecolorist's art (and what vehicle painter doesn't aspire to that art?) 
a practical working plan for the acquirement of such information as will 
enable him ultimately to successfully meet the exacting requirements of 
modern vehicle ornamentation. Knowledge of the harmony of analogy, a 
simple, effective, and ready way of varying painting, together with a 
knowledge of contrasts, the finer, higher, and superior system of effecting 
the most adorable and fetching color adornment, is an indispensable help to 
the painter, to attain which he can well afford to make many sacrifices. 

The harmony of color as it applies to the use of two or more colors 
with reference to the relationships which should exist between them, 
requires to be further intensified by a strict and vigilant regard for the 
season, conditions, and circumstances which obtain when certain combina- 
tions of colors are employed. And for this reason: Blue is a cold color, 
chilly in the extreme at some seasons of the year, upon certain surfaces. It 
may be called a space color and imparts a retiring effect to form. Red, 
applied to form, appears stationary and gives a warmth of sentiment. 
Orange is, if anything, warmer in its effect than a full red. Bright yellow 
tends to excitement of the vision. Green has a conspicuous or advancing 
appearance. 

The primary colors have no established hues, tints, or shades, but in 
every compound of the primaries a hue is recognizable. Green, for instance, 
as a compound of blue and yellow, can be made to vary surprisingly in hue 
as the proportion of one primary is increased and the other reduced, and 
vi^e versa. 

In every compound of the primaries the predominating primary fixes 
the hue thereof. Hue, then, as an authority has well said, may be "a 
mixture of two or more colors of any order, but the mixture should not 
depart from the original color. ' ' 

Tone, as applied to a color, measures the depth of the hue of that color. 

Dilute a color, or the hue thereof, with white, and a tint of that color 
or hue is the result. To illustrate: By adding white to chrome yellow, the 
yellow is reduced along down through the long lists of tints until it reaches 
white. 

A color or hue deepened by the addition of black becomes a shade of 
that color or hue; or, in other words, a shade is any color made deeper by 
the addition of black. The positive colors contain no white or black by , 
mixture, while the negative colors do contain white or black or both. 

THE MIXING OF COLORS, 
in view of the fact that the manufacture of them has now reached a very 
high state of perfection, would seem to be a comparatively easy matter, but 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 31 

it must be understood that in vehicle painting, business vehicle painting 
especially, there are many hues, tints, and shades demanded which the color 
maker does not furnish. Such mixtures have to be prepared by the painter, 
and the work becomes a skilled operation. First he must be fortified with 
a clear knowledge of the proportions of the ingredients required to form the 
desired color or hue thereof, or tint or shade. Then he must skillfully and 
perfectly combine them. The word "perfectly" is emphasized because if the 
constituents be not perfectly combined, a long train of evils is invited. A 
most minute and perfect incorporation of all the particles of the paint 
material must be made, otherwise a lack of uniformity in strength, coloring, 
and covering power results. Certain colors have a property of unduly 
asserting themselves when combined with certain other colors in the mixing 
cup, and if allowance be not made for this assertive strength and a very 
thorough mixture of the parts effected, the color, when applied to the 
surface, is apt to show streaks. Some pigments require grinding upon the 
slab under the muller to obtain an absolutely perfect commingling of the 
particles. 

This rule applies to the mixing of pigments: The more perfect the 
mixing, the more perfect the product; perfect not only as regards its strength, 
permanence, and brilliancy of color, but perfect also as regards its working 
properties. 

While two or more pigments may mix nicely together, they may not 
liquify readil5^ and unless the workman be thorough in his mixing opera- 
tions, lack of a uniform film of color ensues, a condition which later on 
develops the faded and bleached out surface, and in many instances the 
flaking and shelly one. The painter who would become a skilled mixer of 
pigment will insist upon exact quantitative measurements of all the ingre- 
dients he may emplo}^ both liquids and solids, when such measurements are 
possible, and he will further see that the ingredients are perfectly united. 

The attainment of a high average of results in the use of colors depends 
greatly upon the achievements of the color maker and upon the uniform 
qualit}^ of his product. Fineness of grinding, uniformity of color in respect 
to its coloring and covering power, and brilliancy, are valued essentials. It 
is necessary that the painter should get from the color maker not one, two, 
or three successive lots of color that are of standard color, tint, or shade, 
but every lot should correspond to the exact standard. When the painter 
opens a new lot of color, he desires it to be exactly like the last in every 
particular," provided, of course, the last lot was standard. Hence, uniformity 
of color, of tint, of shade, of quality throughout, is a requirement with which 
the color maker may properly be expected to comply. It will thus be 
observed that the purchase of colors is one of the really important steps 
leading up to fine and durable color effects. 

In testing a color for covering power or opacity, for coloring strength. 



32 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGOX PAINTING. 

and for ■rjrillianc}^ comparison should always be made with a strictly standard 
color. 

To assay for covering power or opacit}^ weigh out, say 50 grains, of the 
standard color and the same number of grains of the color under examina- 
tion, and to each sathple add 10 grains of fine china clay, if the colors be 
dark, or 10 grains of the highest grade of lampblack (this being a pure 
black) should they be light, and mix intimately. The sample which departs 
the least from its own color has the best body or covering power. Or mix 
exactly equal quantities of the standard color and the color to be assayed, in 
equal quantities of raw linseed oil, incorporating the oil and the pigment 
thoroughl}^, and then apply to glass surfaces (small panes of window glass 
answer the purpose fully), spreading the pigment as evenly as possible. 
The sample covering the glass most solidly has the strongest covering power. 

Coloring power is determined by mixing a given quantity of a standard 
sample of color with a certain quantity of china clay or, if preferred, zinc 
white. Of the sample to be assayed take the same quantity of color and 
mix with exactly the same quantity of china clay or zinc white used with 
the standard. The sample showing the greatest depth of color may be 
accepted as having the strongest coloring power. 

The durability or permanency of a pigment may be tested by mixing 
the pigment with raw linseed oil, spreading on a piece of glass, exposing it 
to the rigors of the weather, and noting its condition from time to time. 

The fineness of a color or pigment can be judged by rubbing the 
material between two thick pieces of glass or subjecting it to a powerful 
microscopic examination. Or a common fruit can with a tight cover may 
be two-thirds filled with clean water, half an ounce of color put therein, 
and the contents vigorously shaken. The finer the sample is ground, the 
longer the time it will require to settle out. 

The following table is intended to aid in the compounding of the prin- 
cipal hues, tints, and shades of colors used in carriage and wagon painting. 
It would prove futile to try to make the proportions arbitrary, because the 
uniformity of colors advocated above does not universally obtain, the 
product of one firm differing from that of other firms and very often, unfor- 
tunately, lacking uniformity in itself. 

Moreover, color sense has not reached a uniform development, and the 
proportions which would, for example, make a cherry red as accepted by 
one person might not appear that color to the second person. However, hi 
most of the formulas proportions are indicated, and the table is presented not 
as an infallible guide, but more in the nature of a reliably helpful one. 

TABLE OF HUES, TINTS, AND SHADES OF COLORS. 

REDS. 

Transparent Red — No. 40 carmine. 

French Red — Indian red and vermilion glazed with carmine. 



PBACTICAL CABEIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 33 

Carnation Red — Red lake, 3 parts; white, 1 part. 

Wine Color— Carmine, 3 parts; ultramarine blue, 3 parts. 

Claret — Carmine and ultramarine blue, or red and black. 

Imperial Red — Yellow lake, 1 part; solferino lake, 5 parts. 

Cherry Red— Carmine, 1 part; English vermilion, 2 parts. 

Maroon Red— Lampblack, 1 part; Venetian red, 8 parts. 

Solid Crimson — English vermilion, 1 part; carmine, 2 parts. 

Superlative Vermilion — English vermilion, 3 parts; orange mineral, 1 
part. 

Deep Rose — Victoria lake, 1 part; flake white, 6 parts. 

Brick Red — Yellow Ochre, 2 parts; English vermilion, 1 part; white, 1 
part. 

Metropolitan Red — Carmine and vermilion, glazed with carmine. A 
stunning and saucy panel color. 

Y:ei.i.ows. 

Primrose — Add a dash of white to lemon yellow. Or, according to 
Standard Dictionary, 58% of white, 24% of yellow, and 18% of green. It 
should be of a very pale yellow tint; is fashionable and originally English, 
you know. 

Maroon Yellow — Carmine, 3 parts; yellow, 2 parts. 

Rich Yellow — Orange chrome, 1 part; white, 6 parts. 

Buff — White, 2 parts; yellow ochre, 1 part. 

Oak — Yellow ochre, 1 part; white, 8 parts. 

Jonquil Yellow — Flake white and chrome yellow, with a bit of carmine 
added. 

Sulphur Yellow — lycmon chrome, 1 part; white, 1 part. 

Amber Yellow — Chrome j^ellow (medium), 8 parts. 

Canary Yellow — White, 6 parts; lemon chrome, 1 part. 

Naples Yellow — White, 150 parts; golden ochre, 9 parts; orange 
chrome, 1 part. 

Straw Color — White, 5 parts; lemon yellow, 2 parts; vermilion, a drop 
or two. 

Lemon Color — Lemon yellow, 2 parts; white, 5 parts. 

Cream Color — White, 5 parts; red, 1 part; yellow, 2 parts. 

Cream Tint — White, 150 parts; orange chrome, 1 part. 

Gold — White and medium chrome yellow. Add a little vermilion and 
French yellow ochre. 

Pale Orange — Orange chrome, 1 part; white, 5 parts. 

Acorn Yellow— White and raw sienna, equal parts. 

BLUES. 
Changeable Blue — Prussian blue. 

Ocean Blue — White, 15 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part; raw sienna, 2 
parts. 



34 PEACTICAL CAERIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

Ultramarine Blue — Three shades, light, dark, and medium. 

Grass Blue — White, 6 parts; emerald green, 2 parts; Prussian blue, 1 
part. 

Azure Blue — White, 35 parts; ultramarine blue (medium), 1 part. 

Cerulean Blue — White, colored with ultramarine blue. 

Bird's-Egg Blue — Add ultramarine blue to white until a tolerably 
intense blue is reached; then give a dash of light chrome green. 

Cobalt Blue — A fine pale blue, and a most beautiful panel color. Very 
permanent. 

Brunswick Bltie — Made in three shades. Popular in some sections. 

GREENS. 

Sage Green — White, 60 parts; light chrome green, 2 parts; raw umber, 
1 part. 

Bottle Green — Dutch pink and Prussian blue, glazed with yellow lake; 
or medium chrome green, 5 parts; drop black, 1 part. 

Nile Green, otherwise Body Green — Milori green, Prussian blue, and 
black, mixed to the desired shade and glazed over with 3^ellow lake. 

Tea Green — Made of blue chrome green and raw umber. A striking 
panel color for business wagons. 

Pea Green — White, 5 parts; chrome green, 1 part. 

Willow Green — White, 5 parts; verdigris, 1 part. 

Grass Green — Yellow, 3 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part. 

Marine Green — White, 30 parts; chrome green, 1 part. 

Brilliant Green — Paris green, 4 parts; chrome green, 1 part. 

Bronze Green — Chrome green, 5 parts; burnt umber, 1 part; black, 1 
part. 

Scheele's Green- — Paris green. 

Milori Green — A fine panel color for business vehicles; is rich in color 
and of good covering power. 

Olive Green — Golden ochre, 5 parts; coach black, 1 part. 

Quaker Green — Chrome yellow, 5 parts; Prussian blue, 2 parts; ver- 
milion, 1 part. 

The greens form a class of colors very extensively employed in the 
painting of all classes of vehicles. There are two orders of green, namely, 
cold and warm. In cold greens, blue or black predominates; the warm 
greens contain an excess of yellow. As a class, the greens contrast with 
reds and colors containing red, and harmonize with colors having yellow or 
blue in their composition. 

BROWNS. 

Olive Brown — Burnt umber, 3 parts; lemon yellow, 1 part. 

Bismarck Brown — Dutch pink, burnt umber, and lake. Or, with a 
mixture of burnt umber 2 parts, white lead 1 part, make a ground, over 
which put a coating of burnt sienna, and then glaze with carmine, 1^ parts; 



PBACTICAL CARniAGE AXD WAGON PAIXTiyO. 35 

crimson lake, 1 part; gold bronze, 1 part. An English vermilion makes a 
base over wbich the glazing makes a considerably lighter brown. 

Orange Brown — Orange chrome, 2 parts; burnt sienna, 3 parts. 

Coifee Brown — Yellow ochre, 2 parts; burnt sienna, 1 part; burnt 
umber, 5 parts. 

Dark Brown — Indian red, 5 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part. 

Amber Brown— Burnt sienna, 4 parts; medium chrome yellow, 5 parts; 
burnt umber, 8. parts. 

Indian Brown — Indian red, 1 part; yellow ochre, 1 part; lampblack, 1 
part. 

Seal Brown — Burnt umber, 4 parts; golden ochre, 1 part. 

Tan Brown — Yellow, 2 parts; raw umber, 1 part; burnt sienna, 5 parts. 

Japan Brown — Black japan, to which is added a little vermilion. 

Umbers — A class of natural earths, affording varying shades of brown, 
the Cypress mines yielding rich, warm, olive colors. Calcined, this umber 
reaches a positive violet shade. Burnt umber used alone or in connection 
with red and black, gives a very striking panel color for business vehicles. 

Vandyke Brown — A product of natural deposits of brown color. Van- 
dyke brown is a warm color of a reddish hue and is permanent. Most of 
the Vandyke browns with which the carriage painter is familiar are made, 
however, from black, red, and yellow. 

Burnt Sienna — A fine, warm, reddish brown, if the sienna be of good 
quality. A very close imitation of Bismarck brown. 

Chestnut Brown — Red, 2 parts; chrome yellow, 2 parts; black, 1 part. 

Chocolate Color — A little carmine added to burnt umber. 

MISCEIvLANEOUS. 

Ivondon Smoke — Red, 1 part; umber (burnt), 2 parts; white, 1 part. 

Plum Color — White, 2 parts; red, 1 part; blue, 1 part. 

Salmon Color — White, 5 parts; burnt umber, 1 part; yellow, 1 part. 

Chamoline (wet chamois skin) — White, 5 parts; raw sienna, 3 parts; 
lemon chrome, 1 pait. 

Cane Color — White and ochre shaded with black. 

Dove Color — Medium chrome yellow, 1 part; blue, 1 part; white, 4 
parts; vermilion, 2 parts. 

Fawn Color — White and ochre with a bit of vermilion. 

Burgundy — A bright lake given a small percentage of asphaltum. 

Silver Color — White, indigo, and black. 

Leather Color — Burnt sienna, 2 parts; burnt umber, 1 part; a little 
white added. 

lyilac — Blue, 1 part; carmine, 4 parts; white, 3 parts. 

Plum Color — White, 2 parts; blue, 2 parts; red, 1 part. 

Maroon — Carmine, 3 parts; yellow, 2 parts. Or crimson lake and 
burnt umber. 



36 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

Copper Color — Yellow, 2 parts; red, 1 part; black, 1 part. 

True Lead Color— White, 8 parts; blue, 1 part; black, 1 part. 

Normal Gray — White, black and purple; or simply white and black. 

Pearl Gray — White y black, and blue. 

French Gray^White, tinted with ivory black, the mixture warmed 
with a pinch of vermilion. 

Drab Color — Burnt umber, 1 part; white, 9 parts. 

Medium Gray — White, 8 parts; black, 2 parts. 

lyight Gray — White, 9 parts; black, 1 part; blue, 1 part. 

Wine Color — Ultramarine blue, 2 parts; carmine, 3 parts. 

Blue Black — Ivory black, 15 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part. 

SnufF Color — Yellow, 4 parts; Vandyke brown, 2 parts. 

Peach Blossom Color — White, 8 parts; blue, 1 part; red, 1 part; yellow, 
1 part. 

Lavender — White, 15 parts; mauve lake, 1 part; rose madder, 1 part. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE APPLICATION OF COLORS TO SURFACES.— GREENS— BLUES— REDS- 
YELLOWS— BROWNS— BLACKS— WHITE. 

THK greens comprise a class of colors many of which are leaders in 
popularity as panel colors on heavy pleasure vehicles, such as lan- 
daus, broughams, rockaways, etc. Nearly all the greens are used 
as solid colors, requiring no specially prepared ground work color. The 
ease, however, with which solidity and density of color is obtained upon a 
surface is greatly overshadowed by the difficulty — the extreme difficulty, 
perhaps I should say — of applying most of the fine carriage greens now 
fashionable. Such greens as olive, Quaker, Brewster, and Merrimac green, 
individually and collectively favorites, require very deft and painstaking- 
manipulation in the cup and under the brush in order to insure workman- 
like results. Probably olive green manifests the most pronounced disposition 
to assert the strength of some one or more of its color constituents inde- 
pendently and to the detriment of the remaining ones. To overcome this 
difficulty, the color in the cup should be stirred frequently after having been 
mixed thoroughly when in preparation for the surface. In applying greens 
to the surface — and this statement is intended to cover the entire list of 
greens used in carriage and wagon painting — cross brushing at the final 
conclusion of laying off the color may well be avoided. The tendency of 
cross brushing at the ends of a panel is to show two or more different shades 
of the same green. The rule holds good, when using the greens, to adhere 
to thorough methods of mixing, to keep the color well stirred in the cup, 
and to desist from cross brushing at the extremities of the panels in 
finishing up. 

These characteristics so conspicuously developed as opportunity offers 
have prompted a majority of carriage painters and colorists in our best shops 
to use most of the greens employed on fine carriage surfaces in the capacity 
of flat color coats (two coats in nearly all cases covering solid) and then 
applying clear rubbing varnish, thus doing away with the color-and-varnish 
coats altogether. The greens which are used as glazing- colors comprise 
ultramarine green, verdigris, and transparent bronze green. 

THE BLUES. 

Next to the greens in popularity as fine panel colors come the blues, 
ultramarine blue ranking as the most widely used of the various varieties. 
The elegance and aristocratic effects obtained by the employment of ultra- 



38 PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

marine blue are secured only by the development of a ground work free from 
imperfections. As a matter of fact, the successful use of almost every coach 
color, whether used as a glazing color or otherwise, is contingent upon the 
quality of the ground color and upon such a harmonious assimilation of the 
different coats as will promote the greatest elasticity and permanence. Of 
the ultramarine blue there are three shades, light, medium, and dark. Most 
color manufacturers prepare and sell ground colors adapted to the different 
shades of the blue, the ultramarine being invariably used as a color-and- 
varnish or glazing coat. Nevertheless, it is often necessary, even if not 
desirable, to shop prepare the ground color for the ultramarine blues when 
wanted. 

For the light shade of ultramarine blue, Prussian blue and a superior 
grade of white lead are so combined as to produce a blue of good depth and 
bod}^, unusual care being taken to have the blue and white thoroughly 
united and beaten into one indivisible pigment. If keg lead be used in 
making the ground, the oil should be first completely washed out of the 
pigment with benzine or turpentine, and varnish, instead of oil, be employed 
as the color binder. This practice provides for sure and reliable drying of 
the ground color. The ground for the medium ultramarine blue may be 
made of the ingredients above stated, the color being simply adjusted to a 
deeper shade of blue, more blue and less white being used in the admixture. 
In both the light and the medium, the ground color should approximate the 
glaze color and enhance the richness of efiect. For the dark shade of ultra- 
marine blue, a coat of lampblack furnishes a most excellent and effective 
ground color. 

Probably the richest effect in blue is furnished by glazing ultramarine 
blue over a ground of very deep green. Transparent cobalt blue, a glaze 
color always, requires a ground of Prussian blue and white. Body cobalt is 
used as a solid color, and for a panel color on traps, breaks, and vehicles of 
that order it produces admirable and fetching effects. The glaze colors are 
best used in a flowing medium of elastic rubbing varnish, especially when 
body surfaces are being coated, and the brushes adapted to applying such 
colors are the 1^-inch and the 2-inch badger flowing brush or a soft, half- 
elastic bristle brush suited to the size of the panels being coated. 

REDS, WINES, AND OTHER COLORS OF THE RED ORDER. 

For warmth and brilliancy of color effects, carmine among a long list of 
gorgeous reds, is without a rival. Carmine is a glaze color exclusively, and 
the splendor of its radiance is governed entirely by the ground color. 
Carmine, along with its near relatives of the red order, has a decided 
tendency to fade, flake, and chip off. The ground color, therefore, must, in 
addition to being faultless in color density and surface features, be possessed 
of great enduring qualities. It may be accepted as a rule worthy of practice 
that the ground colors for the general order of reds should bc/mixed with a 



PRACTICAL CA11IUA(;E AXD WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 39 

binder of varnish sufficiently strong to impart to them when dr}^ at least a 
faint gloss — an egg-shell gloss, if it please my community of readers. A 
ground so prepared is fortified to counteract the fading and flaking properties 
of such of the reds as are used as glaze colors. 

To secure a first-class job of light carmine, bring the surface up level 
and smooth, and then apply a coat of peach-blow color, made of white and 
some one of the ordinary reds. Over this apply a coat of deep Engli.sh 
vermilion, using the vermilion stoutly charged with rubbing varnish. 
Polish this coat, when dry, with curled hair and apply a second coat of the 
vermilion, adding a sufficiency of varnish to convert the mixture to the 
color-and-varnish class. At the proper time this coat should, preferably, be 
rubbed lightly with pumice stone and water. Next apply a coat of clear 
rubbing varnish, which in due time also demands rubbing with pulverized 
pumice stone and water. Then to rubbing varnish, elastic or quick, hard 
drying, as the size of the surface may dictate, add enough of No. 40 carmine 
to fully stain the liquid, say 3^ of an ounce of carmine to one full pint of 
varnish (many first-class painters use ^ oz. carmine to 1 pint of varnish), 
and apply to the surface, be it body or gear, with a soft badger or bristle 
brush. For a less expensive job, omit the coat of clear rubbing varnish 
and apply the carmine directly to the vermilion. 

A method easier to carry into execution in painting a carmine job 
consists in adding a little carmine to the last coat of vermilion color-and- 
varnish. This coat is rubbed with curled hair; then carmine is added to 
varnish, as in the first method, after which a small quantity of vermilion is 
put in to give the mixture opacity or covering power. Clouding and such 
other incidental imperfections to be considered in connection with the work 
of one not really an expert in the manipulation of glaze colors, is thereby 
avoided. For a darker carmine, use a ground of flamingo red, carmine red 
(a solid color), road-cart red, Kalliston red, or permanent scarlet, dark shade, 
the latter color requiring a light vermilion ground. 

In applying carmine to wheels, it is advisable to flow the whole wheel 
at once, instead of doing them in sections, as by this practice a cleaner, 
clearer, and more satisfactory job is secured. For the gear, do the whole of 
one end of it before wiping up, then the final end, finishing with the reach 
and side bars, if there be side bars. To obtain the real purple and fine linen 
of carmine effects, the color-and-varnish requires to be flowed on freely and 
quickly, and promptly slicked up. Pottering and sectional patching up 
invites inferior results. 

The vermilions, of which there is at present quite a formidable list, 
ranging from the glaring light shades to the glowing dark ones, all bespeak 
carefully prepared and durable grounds, if satisfactory wearing and appearing 
qualities are to be attained. Vermilions may properly, it would seem, be 
classed among the fugitive colors, and their retention of purity of color is 
therefore dependent upon the grounds employed to support them. As 



40 PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AXD WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 

previously stated, a peach-blow color forms a good ground for vermilion. It 
should be made to dry with an egg-shell gloss so as to overcome the fading 
propensity of the vermilion. Then let the first coat of vermilion have a 
decided gloss. The final coat of vermilion is placed as color-and-varnish. 
lyinseed oil should not "be used in vermilion, as it darkens the color and 
destroys its brilliancy. Ditto japan. 

The large class of modern reds known under such alluring titles as 
C. P. red, flamingo red, brilliant coach red, Ottoman red, Kalliston red, etc., 
are usually applied over ground colors specially supplied by the manufac- 
turer. With but few exceptions, such reds are used in this way: One coat 
of color, one coat of color-and-varnish, "dead," or lustreless, coats being 
carefully avoided. 

Indian red in at least two distinct shades, pale and deep, and Tuscan 
red in three shades are largely used for running parts and panel colors on 
certain Jiu de siecle pleasure vehicles, and they are painted as solid colors, 
one coat flat color and one coat color-and-varnish. 

In wagon painting, wine colors in half a dozen shades are used. They 
also need the supporting strength of very stable grounds. Indian red and 
Tuscan red, of shades suited to the shades of the wine color afford excellent 
ground colors. If ample time be at the command of the painter, mix these 
grounds with a binder of raw linseed oil. For hurried work, use a binder 
of varnish. 

Among carriage painter's generally, the lakes have never been classed as 
strictly permanent pigments. At the same time, in the creed of modern 
carriage and wagon painting they are indispensable. Of those probably the 
best known in the vehicle paint shop, may be mentioned maroon lake, 
Munich, carriage part, permanent scarlet, scarlet, red, English rose lake, 
purple lake, carmine lake, and crimson lake. 

Maroon lake is best glazed over a deep Tuscan red ground; Munich 
lake over extra deep Tuscan red or lampblack; carriage part lake over the 
same ground as Munich; permanent scarlet over vermilion; scarlet lake over 
light vermilion; red lake over pale Tuscan red; English rose lake over extra 
deep Tuscan red; purple lake over a ground made of Tuscan red and 
Prussian blue. Carmine lake furnishes many of the gleaming and beautiful 
effects of No. 40 carmine when used over such grounds as are best adapted 
to genuine carmine. Crimson lake is used over vermilion grounds and 
furnishes a color of great warmth and richness. 

It is advisable, when perfecting the ground for the lakes, to add to the 
last coat of ground color some of the lake to be used over it, as a mellowing, 
toning ingredient. The non-elastic qualit}^ of the lakes suggests the use of 
elastic rubbing varnish when preparing the lake color-and-varnish. This 
will impart elasticity and adhesiveness. 

THE YELLOWS. 

Among the yellows are many delicate shades which require strong basic 



PBACTICAL CARlilAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 41 

color coats to support them properl3^ In the painting of a yellow surface, 

be it of the most delicate or the most powerful shade of j^ellow, the initial 

coats of color may very correctly be white. Have the surface smooth and 

clean, and if it be the running parts of the vehicle, and the priming coat is 

already on, mix the keg lead in, say one-half raw linseed oil and one-half 

turpentine, using a teaspoonful of coach japan to each pint of the paint. 

Apply this coat with an oval bristle brush. When dry, sand off lightly 

with No. 1 paper, putty with white putty wherever necessary, doing the 

work so smoothly as to require no sanding, and then with a camel' s-hair 

brush apply a second coat of the white containing a strong binder of oil and 

thinned to a free working consistency with "turps." Over this ground most 

of the yellows can be brought to the proper depth and density of color with 

two coats of color and one coat of color-and -varnish. This for the running 

parts. Upon body surfaces having a roughstuff base, wash the keg white 

lead free of oil with benzine or turps, adding a binder of rubbing varnish, 

and apply two coats of the white with a two-inch camel' s-hair brush, 

polishing each coat with clean curled hair. Then apply the yellow, using 

the final coat in the capacity of color-and-varnish. There is economy of 

time, labor, and pigment in using a white ground for yellow. Moreover, 

the natural bleaching propensity of the yellows is distinctly checked through 

the agency of a white ground. All colors in light shades evince a natural 

tendency to darken as they fade and lose their original purity of tone. The 

white ground operates to overcome this tendency, to arrest this deepening 

process, to hold the yellow to its true color; and it does this by reason of the 

fact that it offers the yellow a white base instead of a positive, assertive one, 

to strike through. In other words, the yellow, as it responds to the process 

of drying, is influenced by the lighter color beneath, the one counteracting 

the other. 

That renowned French authority on coach painting, M. Arlot, is upon 

record as advising primary coats of white lead as a base for yellows. The 

writer has personal knowledge of the value of white basic coats for the 

numerous family of colors in question, and therefore strongly advises their 

employment. Primrose, canary, and sulphur yellow are among the most 

fashionable of the pale yellows and require careful working out under the 

brush. With the yellows must be considered yellow lake. This is used 

only as a glaze color. Put over the solid greens, it gives to them depth and 

richness. Placed over Brewster green, for example, it renders a particularly 

elegant effect. Put over many of the brilliant reds, it imparts a fine and 

exquisite effect. 

THE BROWNS. 

In business vehicle painting, the browns receive consideration. Van- 
dyke brown, a warm brown color inclining to a reddish hue, can be used for 
one coat of color and one coat of color-and-varnish. If desired, a first, or 
ground, color can be made of drop black, yellow, and red. A close imitation 



42 PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

of this famous brown can, in fact, be made of the three colors just named. 
Vienna brown, a justly and widely esteemed color for vehicle bodies, is 
a warm, rich brown and requires a ground color of deep, Indian red. Over 
this' ground apply one coat of color and one of color-and-varnish. This 
brown is obtainable in two shades, light and deep. London smoke, a much 
used running part color, is painted solid color — one coat color, one coat 
color-and-varnish. Burnt Italian sienna and burnt Turkey umber are like- 
wise painted solid colors. As a whole, the browns, as colors, are easily 
applied to the surface and may be classed as good wearing colors. 

BLACKS. 

In carriage painting, the black surface fairly reigns supreme. At first 
thought, the painting of a fine black surface would seem to involve a very 
common turn of trade craft. It involves, in the largest sense, a high grade 
of workmanship, rather than a common one, this painting of the black 
surface. Coach black ground in japan, in which state the carriage painter 
gets it, should have a binder of varnish, instead of oil, and should be 
thinned with turps so as to spread freely under a camel' s-hair brush and to 
flat out to a fine, soft, velvety texture. Easy working, without brush 
marks, is a paramount virtue, regardless of the opacity or covering power of 
the black. A high grade ivory black is less opaque, and consequently 
covers less solidly, coat for coat, than does the cheaper, but less lustrous, 
black. Hence, the covering power of a color can never be accepted as a 
safe guide to direct the thinning of said color. To make the highest quality 
of black to cover as solidly at one coat as an inferior grade of black at one 
coat might, would necessitate using the best black so thick as to invite a 
disastrous sweep of brush marks. More and thinner coats of color, minus 
brush marks, are pieferable to fewer and heavier coats with brush marks in 
plenty. 

Black color-and-varnish, a popular coating up and surfacing material 
for vehicle bodies and running parts, is best used upon all the lighter grade 
of bodies by tipping them so that the side panels at least present a flat, 
upturned surface, the device, Fig. 9, in Chapter I. of this work, being used 
effectively for holding such bodies in position. The half elastic brush, flat 
and chisel pointed, is the most available tool for flowing the color-and- 
varnish on bodies. For applying the black color-and-varnish to running 
parts, the camel' s-hair flowing brush is an easy and fine working tool and is 
principally used for that purpose in many foremost carriage paint shops, 
lyike all color-and-varnish, the black variety should be furnished with a 
ground free from defects, and should be used simply for the enrichment of 
that ground, to give it depth, density, and an intense jet black color. Such 
an achievement is impossible through the agency of color coats and clear 
rubbing varnish coats, pure and simple. 

WHITE. 

The application of white to a surface and the development of a solid 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 43 

white job thereby is certainly one of the highly skilled features of the trade. 
The most fitting reference to white would seem to be best made by 
describing the method used in painting and finishing a vehicle surface in 
white. 

First clean the wood thoroughly, removing all stains, discolorations, 
etc. Then carefully brush on a coat of raw linseed oil. Seek to have a 
uniform film of the oil over all parts of the surface. When the surface is 
ready to recoat, make sure by a careful inspection of it that all parts are 
sufficiently well sandpapered. Then appl}^ a coat of white keg lead mixed 
3/8 oil to s/s turps, with a teaspoonful of pale japan added to each quart of 
the mixture. The second coat of white is best mixed with, say about 3-16 of 
oil to 13-16 of turps. This quantity of oil suffices to give the white a stout 
binder without affecting the purity of the white. Puttying and whatever 
putty glazing is necessary should be done on the first coat of white. Make 
the putty of dry white lead mixed to the proper consistency in very pale 
rubbing varnish, 1 part; gold size japan, 2 parts. For stopping holes, the 
putt}' needs to be a good bit stiffer than when used for the general run of 
disfigurements; for glazing, thin to the desired consistency with turps. 
Sandpaper lightly and then mix Florence, flake, or cremnitz white to a 
consistency that will render the color free working under a half elastic, soft 
bristle brush, using turps for the thinner, and hard dr5dng finishing varnish 
for the binder. Apply two coats of this color, taking due care to have the 
color laid smooth and free from brush marks. Then take the hard drying 
finishing varnish and add to it enough of the white to "kill" the yellowish 
amber color of the varnish, and flow on a full, free, uniform coat. When 
dry, rub with pulverized pumice stone and water, clean up thoroughly, and 
apply a second coat of the color-and- varnish. Rub and clean up as before, 
and apply a third coat. This coat will probably suffice to furnish a solid and 
pure white surface, fine and smooth, and of becoming lustre. If the job is 
to go with a full varnish gloss, and striping or other ornamenting is desired, 
it can be done on this finishing coat, and pencil varnished. 

In case gold, silver, aluminum, or other leaf is used in ornamenting, 
the finish should, preferably, be done in a simple gloss or flat, as it will be 
found extremely difficult to successfull)^ apply leaf over a finished surface of 
high lustre. If the finish is to be gloss or flat, give the last coat of varnish 
adequate time to dry hard, say ten days at least, and then first rub with 
pumice stone and water, wash and dry up carefull}^, after which rub with 
rotten stone and sweet oil, using a piece of chamois skin for the rubbing pad. 
In rubbing, avoid heating the varnish, otherwise a roughened, shredded 
surface will result. For cleaning up the oil and rotten stone, dust wheat 
flour or pulverized slippery elm over the surface, flick off with a soft duster, 
and wipe dry with a clean piece of silk. In the painting and finishing of a 
white surface, the subjoined rules hold good: 

Avoid using the color too thick. Thinner coats and more of them are best. 



44 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

After the first, or priming, coat, use as sparingly of oil as possible. Oil 
produces "yellowing" of the white. 

Abstain from the use of zinc white or damar varnish altogether. They 
are alike shifty and unreliable as applied to the processes of carriage and 
wagon painting. 

Care should be observed to keep the surface flawless and perfectly clean. 
To this end, clean apartments, clean brushes, chamois skins, sponges, etc., 
may be classed as imperative necessities. 

The Florence, flake, or cremnitz white above recommended should be 
used in the painting of all first-class white surfaces. Ordinary white lead is 
advised only when the cheaper grade of white surfaces is desired. 

If broad, fiat surfaces are to be painted and a strictly first-class job is 
demanded, a roughstuff will be necessary. Formulas for roughstuff or 
white filler are as follows: 

Formula No. 1. — Dry white lead, yi; whiting, yi. lyiquids, pale 
rubbing varnish, yi; turpentine, fi; gold size japan, j4 gill. 

Formula No. 2. — Dry white lead, 1 part; pulverized soapstone, 2 parts; 
pulverized pumice stone, 1 part. Liquids, rubbing varnish, 1 part; turpen- 
tine, 1 part; tablespoonful of gold size japan to each quart of the filler when 
mixed. 

Formula No. 3. — Dry white lead mixed to a thick paste in ys pale 
rubbing varnish and -3 gold size japan. Reduce to a brushing consistency 
with turps. 

Apply one coat of either of the above fillers per day and regulate the 
number of coats to suit the condition of the surface. To the final coat add 
a little lemon yellow as a guide in rubbing out. A dash of pulverized 
pumice stone may also be given the 'stuff (especially that made b}^ the third 
formula) to make it surface free and clear under the rubbing stone. In 
rubbing out, "eternal vigilance" and plenty of care and caution are factors 
of the utmost importance, if scratching and disfiguring the surface would 
be avoided. Then over this rubbed surface apply flat coats of the white, 
reinforced with a binder of hard drying varnish, following with color-and- 
varnish and other finishing processes as above directed. 

While roughstuff must continue to be recognized as a necessity in the 
development of white surfaces of certain grades, sizes, and forms, the 
painter, in so far as possible, may well decide to discard its employment 
solely owing to a lack of durability as compared to the regulation method of 
building up with color and color-and-varnish coats to a solid and firmly- 
welded finish. 

There is another method of painting white practiced by many first-class 
painters, which was first published in Varnish and written by that 
reliable and experienced authority, Mr. J. G. Cameron. It consists of 
priming the wood with the best white lead., mixed with as much oil as the 
wood will absorb, and turpentine. This is given five days in which to dry. 



PEACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 45 

Then white lead is made up to dry with a gloss, and two coats of the 
mixture is given, with an interval of one day between coats. The surface 
is then puttied with a putty made of white keg lead, dry white lead and 
whiting, equal parts by bulk, and japan. The putty used for knifing in is 
made softer than that used for stopping holes and cavities. The putty is 
given one day to harden. Then a filling composed of keg lead, 1 part; 
whiting, 1 part; flour of pumice stone, 1-5 part; made into a stiff glazing 
pigment with japan and a small percentage of turpentine, is brushed over 
the surface, a second workman following with a broad putty knife and 
skillfully removing the superfluous filler. This glazing is intended only for 
panels and flat work generally. Permit this filling to dry forty-eight hours. 
It is then rubbed lightly with pumice stone. Moldings and carved work are 
sandpapered. Next, to 5 lbs. of white keg lead, highest qualit}^ }4 pint of 
good wearing body varnish that dries quickly and reliably is added. The 
mass is then thinned with turps and strained. This dries to a little more 
than an egg-shell gloss. Five coats of this color are applied on five consecu- 
tive days, no rubbing or sandpapering being done between coats. This 
foundation of white is given a week, to harden, after which it is thoroughly 
rubbed down with about No. 1)4 pulverized pumice stone. It is then 
allowed to stand two days before being polished and cleaned up with flour of 
pumice stone. A coat of high grade and practically colorless finishing 
varnish (now procurable of the leading varnish makers) is now flowed on 
and the work is complete. The color for the five coats is made up at one 
time, so that it dries and hardens equally and uniformly throughout. Mr. 
Cameron vouches for the durability, fullness, and solidity of a white surface 
painted by this method, having employed it in painting hundreds of street 
cars, in addition to a great many hearses, delivery wagons, etc. It is a well- 
known practical fact that a first-class finishing varnish and white lead care- 
fully mixed solidifies amazingly throughout. And the one coat of very pale 
or colorless finishing varnish over all produces the effect of a high grade 
finish. 



CHAPTER VI. 

APPLYING RUBBING VARNISH— SURFACING VARNISH— CARE OF THE 
FINISHING ROOM— WASHING THE RUBBED SURFACES— FLOWING 
THE FINISHING COAT. 

ONE well-known varnish maker has said that the marvelous thing 
about carriage varnish is that it must be one garment suited to all 
kinds of weather. As a material destined to shine in the public eye, 
its proper manipulation and treatment is manifestly of the first importance to 
the carriage painter. No other material with which the painter has to do is 
so sensitive to the robust variety of influences- constantly attacking it as 
varnish. The virtues of a first-class varnish which add to its durability, in- 
crease its -brilliancy, and in other ways enhance the beauty of a surface over 
which it is used are the ones that impart to it a peculiar sensitiveness char- 
acteristic of no other material. Briefly, then, we may sum up the task of 
applying and manipulating varnish upon a carriage surface as a delicate 
job. A workman of fine notions, intelligent, painstaking and highly skilled 
in the handling of the proper tools, is the only successful varnisher. Such a 
workman is required to get all that is true and fine and lasting and lovely 
out of the employment of varnish. In the varnishing of a vehicle the first 
kind of varnish we are required to use is rubbing varnish. The duty of 
putting on rubbing varnish is less difficult, practically considered, than that 
of flowing the finishing coat, but rubbing varnish bespeaks deft and skillful 
handling. The first coat of rubbing demands to be applied quite as pre- 
cisely, and with the same thoroughness as to details, as would mark the ap- 
plication of any of the later coats. In the application of the first and second 
rubbing coats to body surfaces, the bodies, when of a build to permit of the 
practice, should be tipped so as to offer a flat, upturned surface, a device for 
holding the bodies in this position having been illustrated in Chapter I. 
Fuller and finer rubbing coats may be flowed on when the bodies are tipped. 
Tipping of all the lighter forms of vehicle bodies is practiced in leading 
shops when applying the first and second rubbing coats. 

The writer, therefore, advises observance of the practice in even the 
smallest of shops. There is less chance for brushmarks and other defects 
manifesting themselves. With the heavily flowed on rubbing coats, the 
round, full surface which distinguishes the product of the best varnish rooms 
is obtained at a less expenditure of time and labor, than when the thinner 
.coats are employed. I would suggest the full, heavy rubbing coat as the 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXU WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 



47 



most effective aid in avoiding brushmarks and in drowning out the dust 
motes and flocculent matter to be noted as part and parcel of the skimpy 
brushed on coat of varnish. The modern ethics of carriage painting affirms 
the excellence of heavy rubbing coats of varnish as the most enduring base 
for heavy finishing coats. 

The final rubbing coat may best be applied with the vehicle body occu- 
pying its natural position or, rather, the position it is to occupy when the 
coat of finishing goes on. This is the coat that is depended upon to reflect 
the outline and round out the fullness of the finishing varnish. The neces- 
sit}^ of its being perfect in all the respects that it is possible to make a rub- 
bing coat of varnish, is, therefore, apparent. The fact that varnish goes on 
pretty nearly everything, bright- 
ens it, keeps it clean and clean- 
able, covers it, takes the wear, 
prolongs its life, and increases its 
beauty and usefulness, furnishes 
the carriage painter with a sub- 
stantial reason for insisting upon 
having his rubbing coats, from 
first to last, deftly placed and 
shrewdly balanced. 

THE SURFACING OF RUBBING 
VARNISH. 

When a rubbing varnish has 
been given the full limit of time 
recommended by the manufac- 
turer in which to harden, sur- 
facing should ensue. To permit 
such varnish to remain unpro- 
tected from the atmospheric 
impurities common to the aver- 
age paint shop may be accepted 
as an actual detriment to the durability of the surface. The gums used in 
rubbing varnish and which unite to give it a surfacing property render the 
varnish when spread upon a surface peculiarly susceptible to the attacks ot 
all forms of impurities. Hence the necessity of surfacing the rubbing coats 
as soon as they have been given adequate time to harden. The supporting 
strength and ability of such coats are thereby promoted. 

To surface varnish correctly and at the minimum outlay of time, it is 
needful that a serviceable equipment of tools be furnished the workman. 
This should consist of at least two good pails (galvanized iron pails are 
probably the most economical), half dozen good, soft sponges, a water tool, 
and a few first-class chamois skins, in addition to plenty of rubbing pads. 
Rubbing pads are often shop made from waste cuttings of broadcloth or felt, 




Varnish Stand 

As used in some factory shops. 



48 PRACTICAL CABBIAGE AXB WAGON PAINTING. 

the strips being rolled into cylindrical form or fastened around blocks of 
wood. However, the most effective rubbing pads are procurable direct from 
the manufacturers and come in the form of thick perforated pads, running 
in thickness from ^ to 1 inch, and in size from 2x3 inches to 3x4 inches. 
These perforated pads serve to free the surface from that part of the pulver- 
ized pumice stone which, during the process of rubbing, has become inert 
and a hindrance to the leveling efforts of the workman. 

In surfacing, pulverized pumice stone of the or 00 grade of fineness is 
best. 

The water supply is an important factor in varnish surfacing, soft water 
being a highly-valued essential. A surface cleans up better with soft water 
than when the water used is hard. If plenty of soft water is not forthcom- 
ing, add a little soda to the water, say a teaspoonful of soda to an ordinary 
pail of water. This will reduce the harshness of the water. 

The actual work of rubbing or surfacing varnish may be classed as an 
art. The first class varnish rubber is really an accomplished mechanic. Be- 
fore beginning to rub a surface, first rinse it off with clean water. This by 
way of a precaution. Then dip the rubbing pad first lightly into the water 
to moisten it, and then into the pumice stone, thus carrying it to the surface 
where with light pressured sweeps it may be spread over a certain part of 
the surface. Rub lightly at first, gradually increasing the pressure until 
the necessary force is reached. First rub the outside edges of a panel and 
the mouldings, if any, finishing up the central part last. It will be found 
easier to get the center of a panel, or of a given portion of a surface, rubbed 
sufficiently than to get the outer edges of it done. If a large surface is being 
rubbed, first rub a certain space for a time and then shift to a new space, 
thus avoiding the possibility of unduly heating the surface. Alternate be- 
tween the two spaces until the desired reduction of the surface has been 
reached. Upon surfaces which admit of carrying the rubbing strokes to the 
extreme end of the panel, the rubbing strokes being always directed length- 
wise of the panel, do not cross rub at the ends. Cross rubbing at panel ends 
is invariably shunned by first-class factory varnish rubbers, and these spe- 
cialists are deservedly classed as artists in their line. For example, upon 
piano box bodies the strokes are carried quite to the end of the panel, with 
no cross brushing tolerated. First coatings of varnish do not invite very 
close surfacing. The second coat permits, and should receive, the solid and 
close surfacing. The final rubbing coat should properl}^ require only a 
moderate degree of surfacing to make it fit to hold out the finishing coat 
with becoming comeliness. Avoid using too much pumice stone, too much 
water, or too much pressure on the pad; in a word, avoid excesses. Pumice 
stone and water should not be allowed to dry upon the surface. It is a 
hazardous practice. Have plenty of clean water at hand and wash the sur- 
face up tidily as fast as the rubbing proceeds. Adhere to uniformity and 
thoroughness in surfacing. The surface rubbed more closely in some 



PEACTICAL CARBIAGE AXjD WAGON PAINTING. 



49 



places than in others, and not rubbed sufficiently thorough as to corners, 
border spaces, etc., bears the unmistakable imprint of the bungler's rude 
hand. Probably this rule of uniformity and thoroughness is the most diffi- 
cult for the beginner to acquire. It really covers nearly the whole range of 
the art of fine surfacing. When one has mastered the feat of rubbing a sur- 
face to the same uniform depth of film, missing never a modest slip on mold- 
ing, around bolt head, or other easil}^ overlooked space, he has earned the 
right to strive for the expert's rank. 

The surface once rubbed, washing up must needs follow. The work- 
man cannot be too greatly impressed with the importance of this branch of 
the work. Thorough washing must necessarily accompany thorough rub- 
bing; otherwise, the efforts of the rubber go for naught. To insure clean 
washing of the surface, clean tools must be maintained. The chamois skins, 
sponges, wash brushes, etc., require storage in some dust- 
proof receptacle. This may be in the form of a cupboard 
or small closet, or a bag made of light rubber cloth and 
provided with a shirring string. Wash these articles often 
in soap and water, rinsing carefully in clean water after 
applying and rubbing in the soap. This method will aid 
to keep them clean. With clean pails, clean water, and 
clean washing and drying tools, the task of washing a 
surface preparatory to varnishing is deprived of mau}^ of 
its menacing features. The final washing up should, in 
every instance, be performed with a pail, brush, chamois 
skin, and sponge kept expressly for that purpose and used 
for no other. Always keep in store a sponge and chamois 
skin to be used especially for washing and drying out the 
inside of vehicle bodies. Another set, separate and inde- 
pendent of the others, should be devoted solely to washing 
and drying up vehicle running parts for the varnisher. 
In cleaning up a carriage body for varnishing, first wash 
out the inside surface, tooling out all the corners, etc., with the water tool. 
Then apply plenty of water to the outside, washing the sill and border of the 
under surface of the body fully as free and clean as the more exposed parts. 
Thoroughly tool around all bolt-heads or other parts which offer a lodgment 
for atoms of pumice stone. After tooling about such surface fixtures, follow 
immediately with a sponge well loaded with water, thus flooding out the 
loosened accumulations of gritty matter. The body being finally washed 
clean, top, bottom, inside, and out, dry up carefully with the chamois skin, 
and then at once set away in that sacred place, the varnish room. 

To summarize the features of surfacing varnish, note: First, Use roll or 
blocked broadcloth or felt rubbing pads. 

Second . Direct the rubbing strokes all in one direction, and lengthwise 

of the panel. 




Stand 



Varnish 
No. : 



Standard J^-inch 
iron, three - pronged 
and sharpened, 2G to 
:iS inches high. Quick- 
ly made by any black- 
smith. Top of stand 
10x10 inches. 



50 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXB WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 

Third. Avoid excessive use of pumice stone or water, and indulge in 
not too heavily applied pressure of the rubbing cloth. Moderate pressure, 
uniformly sustained, is the correct practice. 

Fourth. Maintain constantly, and at all times, a conspicuously clean 
washing up kit; and in washing the surface do not stop short of having it 
unmistakably and shiningly clean. 

Thereby hangs the tale of fine varnishing made easy. 

If jobs are rubbed out of varnish and allowed to stand over night before 
being varnished, a final light rubbing should be given the surface just pre- 
vious to applying the varnish. A surface when rubbed and stood aside for 
a short time takes on a scum which, if not removed, is fatal to good varnish- 
room results. This scum is said to be caused by the oxidation of the float- 
ing matter, from the oxide contained in it and the oxygen in the atmosphere. 
The scum acts in the nature of a deadly blight upon the varnish applied 
directly upon it, begetting many of what are commonly known as the de- 
pravities of varnish. Rotten stone applied and rubbed under a piece of car- 
riage head-lining broadcloth makes an excellent polish to remove all scum 
from the surface. 

FLOWING THE FINISHING COATS. 

To accomplish high grade finishing, certain varnish room conditions 
must prevail. The varnish room must have plenty of light, ventilation, 
warmth, and dryness of atmosphere. Cleanliness must abound; — personal 
cleanliness, room cleanliness, and cleanliness of stock and tool equipment. 
Ventilation and light have already been alluded to. To sweep the varnish 
room floor, first profusely sprinkle with well dampened sawdust, and begin- 
ning at one side sweep in a windrow. Do not use much water upon the 
varnish room floor, unless it should chance to be a perfectly tight floor and 
fit to be mopped out occasionally. Then the mopping out should occur 
upon days when there is to be no varnishing done in the department, A 
thermometer to register the heat and a hygrometer to register the humidity 
should be inseparable inmates of the varnish room. 

A cupboard set in even with the wall or partition of the room should 
contain clean cups, strainer, dusters, along with the brushes in their air- 
tight keepers. Maintain a uniform temperature of from 75° to 80° Fahr. 

Insist upon the surfaces and the varnish to be applied to them being of 
the same degree of temperature. In this way only will varnish work at its 
best. 

Remove the stopper from the varnish can a short time prior to begin- 
ning to varnish. This allows for the escape of certain gases generated in 
the varnish can. 

Although the varnish maker may declare his varnishes do not need 
straining it is really the safer rule to strain all the finishing varnish before 
using. A majority of finishers in our best shops persist in the practice. 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AX£> WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 



51 



Patent strainers are now on the market adopted for this very purpose. 
Cheese cloth, cut in squares and drawn over funnel-shaped tins, serves as 
cheap and quickly arranged strainers. 

Be thorough and painstaking in dusting. After the first dusting go 
over the surface with a piece of silk. Next, give all spots rubbed through, 
or which promise to show badly under the varnish, a dash of color, imme- 
diately slicking these color patches over with a small piece of cotton rag. 
Now varnish the inside of the bod}^, having previously, of course, rubbed or 
mossed ofif this part of the job, as the desired quality of the finish may dic- 
tate, and dusted it carefully. The inside surface being finished, again dust 
the outside surface. Then for the final dusting take a round or oval duster, 
kept expressly for the purpose, and, moistening the hollow 
of the left hand with a little finishing varnish, flick the 
point of the duster over this to furnish it with a dust 
attraction property, after which proceed at once to dust 
carefully the surface to be varnished. 

The surface now being ready to finish, remove the 
brushes from the keeper, fill the varnish cup one-third full 
of the strained varnish, and follow this modus operandi, 
assuming, for example, the job to be of the piano box 
pattern: With the 1-inch badger hair brush lay the var- 
nish along the bottom of the main panel, then across both 
ends, and lastly, along the top, taking in the seat riser 
while flowing the top edge. Then with the 2)^ -inch brush 
fioiv, not brush, the varnish over the main surface space. 
Hold the brush, in flowing, rather flat. Keep it well 
charged with varnish, and pass it lightly and with a steady 
stroke from one end of the panel to the other, applying 
and laying off with horizontal strokes of the brush. From 
the brush held and directed in this way the varnish flows 
Thermometer — ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ v^^ow the surface, the distribution being more 

The varnish room gygj-j ^j^j uniform, and less cross brushing becoming, there- 
watchdog. ' ° ° 

fore, assured. When the finishing brush is held at a steep 

angle, or in such a way that the points of the bristles are forced to 
mainly do the work, the varnish is whipped into motion to a harmful ex- 
tent, requiring thereby more manipulation with the brush to get it evenly 
placed, and consequently destroying some of its natural fullness and bril- 
liancy. The chief aim of the carriage finisher is to so first flow his varnish 
that the minimum outlay of cross brushing and dressing up will suffice, to 
the end that the varnish may be disturbed as little as possible, thus securing 
that depth of lustre and mirror-like effects so greatly cherished by all first- 
class finishers. 

In varnishing piano style bodies and surfaces of close kith and kin to 
such, flow at least one side and an end before cross brushing and laying off. 




52 



PBACTICAL CARBIAGE A^^D WAGON PAINTING. 



The varnish, by this method, is given time to take on a bit of "tack," as it 
were, and in cross brushing a less quantity is removed than would be the 
case if cross brushing were to follow directly upon completion of flowing the 
panel. After cross brushing and laying oflf, "catchup" the edges and all 
other places where the varnish is liable to start into a run or an overflow. 

In varnishing surreys, phaetons, and jobs of that order, and larger, the 
varnisher should determine the amount of space he may flow before return- 
ing to cross brush, by the working qualities of his varnish, room tempera- 
ture, and the prevailing circumstance at the time of varnishing. 

After cross brushing, go over the panel but once in laying off. As be- 
fore stated, and as expert carriage finishers everywhere 
will assert, the less brushing and disturbing of varnish, 
once it is flowed on the surface, the finer the body and 
brilliancy of the finish. 

To become an expert body finisher the workman 
should possess varnish intelligence. He should know 
how to keep cool; be an absolute stranger to varnish 
fright, never lacking for confidence or ability to success- 
fully meet and master emergencies as they arise. The 
art of varnishing cannot be acquired in a da)^, or an 
hour, or simply by a studious perusal of carefully 
worded directions. These serve as a working draft, 
but must be supplemented by long-continued practice, 
and, in case of carriage body finishing, coupled with a 
natural aptitude for the work. 

VARNISHING RUNNING PARTS. 

The running parts of a vehicle having rounded sur- 
faces are more easily made to shine fine and mirror-like 
than are the body surfaces. However, the varnishing 
of running parts may rightfully be classed a highly 
skilled operation. Washing up and cleaning the run- 
ning parts preparatory to varnishing is a difficult task. 
Around clips, bolt heads, axle ties, etc., pumice stone 
and dirt accumulations cling tenaciously, and thorough tooling with 
the wash brush and plenty of water is needed to fit such parts for varnish- 
ing. After washing, and once dusting over the running parts, touch with 
color all reaches of surface requiring it. When color patches are dry take a 
second duster, kept for this one dusting only, flip it lightly over the varnish- 
moistened left palm, and go over the surface carefully. If a particularly fine 
job, pass over the surface with the palms of the hands, having previously 
given them a slight wetting with the finishing varnish. This method illus- 
trates the power of magnetic influence, and catches up flotillas of dust motes 
which the duster would possibly disturb, but not remove. In finishing the 
gear begin at the front axle and proceed to flow the whole front/ end before 




Varnish Strainer. 

Published by permis- 
sion of '-Tlie Carriage 
Monthly." 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AKl) WAGOX PAINTING. 53 

wiping up. This gives the varnish a chance to take its position on the sur- 
face, and the wiping up serves to level out the inequalities and remove the sur- 
plus. After the front, the rear, then the reach, and last the side bars, if 
any. A brush should be kept solely to wipe up the underside of axles, head 
blocks, spring bars, side bars, etc. In many factory shops the finishers 
wipe such parts with the palm of their hand. The varnish drippings are 
thus caught by the hand and distributed in the form of a glaze to the parts 
in question. 

In varnishing wheels, which are always included in the terra running 
parts, slip the wheel upon the revolving jack and, standing with the left side 
nearest the wheel and partly facing it, begin by flowing the sides and face 
of the spokes, reaching the brush well over to the back surface of the 
spokes. Then flow front of hub. Next the inside and face of the felloe. 
Now whirl the wheel so that its rear surface, takes the place of the front. 
Catch up and close in with varnish all strips on the rear surface of spokes 
not flowed when the sides were done. Then flow rear of hub, and lastly, 
the back surface of felloe- Reverse position of wheel, slick up all places 
needing it, and set away on a second wheel jack, giving the wheel a sharp 
spin to better hold the flowed-on varnish in place. Four wheel jacks are 
necessary to flow wheels properly. Then, when the fourth jack is occupied, 
the wheel first done, having been given a good spinning and at least three 
half turns, may be set away in the rack, subject to no danger from runs or 
sags. When applying rubbing varnish it is advisable to flow not more than 
six or eight spokes before wiping up. About this proportion of surface for 
flowing and then wiping up should control in applying rubbing varnish to 
running parts. 



CHAPTER VII. 

DEPRAVITIES OF VARNISH : GRAINING OUT— CRACKING— SWEATING- 
DEADENING, ETC.— PITTING— ENAMELING, ETC.— SEEDY OR SPECKY— 
CRAWLING — WRINKLING, ETC.— RUNS, SAGS, ETC.— RIDGING, ETC.— 
PERISHING— CHIPPING— FIRE CHECKS— GREENING— BLOOMING— BLIS- 
TERS— SPOTTING, ETC., ETC. 

GRAINING OUT. 

THE peculiar grain showing a condition of the surface which manifests 
itself after the job is finished arises from certain incompetent practices 
observed along in the early stages of painting, or from the use of 
wood not adapted to the needs of vehicle construction, as, for example, sappy 
or unseasoned wood. It is a principle of fine surfacing, substantiated by 
experience, that when a carriage body has been perfectly smoothed and 
leveled by the woodworker, it should be given a few hours, say four or five, 
before priming. This delay is to give the wood, subjected to unusual 
pressure during the surfacing process, an opportunity to expand and shape 
itself into a normal conformation. Upon high grade work it would be a good 
practice to first level thoroughly and set away in an unquestionably dry 
atmosphere for a few hours, and then have the woodworker apply a second 
sandpapering. Then after another interval of a few hours, prime thor- 
oughl}^ inside and out, top and bottom; in fact, wherever moisture might 
possibly find an entrance. 

Graining out may come from priming too closely upon the completion 
of the woodworker's leveling process; or it may come from the dry wood 
having been exposed, after the surfacing process, to a "spell" of damp 
weather. The dry, porous timber absorbs enough wetness to raise the grain 
to such an extent that nothing short of a resurfacing will restore it to its 
normal smooth and perfect condition again. This wood, with its erect 
fibres or grain fairly visible to the eye upon a casual examination, if painted 
over and finished, dries out in time, and in doing so responds to the natural 
law of shrinkage. 

Shrinkage involves a process whereby the priming, roughstufi", color, 
varnish, etc., apparently goes in while the grain of the wood goes out. 
Graining out is often due to a priming coat that is not given adequate time 
to dry hard and firm. This soft layer of rather slow drying pigment, if 
sealed from contact with the air prematurely, is a powerful inducement to 
grain showing. Spongy, porous roughstuff, deficient in resinbus matter and 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WA(HJN PAIXTiyd. 



weak in its binding property, is also often responsible for graining out. 
Good reliable priming, lead and roughstuff coats, allowed to dry thoroughly, 
each and all of them, arrest the graining out tendency. Improperly seasoned 
wood is a prolific producer of grained out surfaces. 

Moisture confined under a body of paint and varnish is bound to make 
its exit right speedily, and this it does by voraciously sucking the paint and 
varnish material in and pushing the grain of the wood out. 

CRACKING. 

It has been said that the natural destiny of varnish is to crack. When 
a varnish has worn itself out, lost its elasticity, become brittle, it will, 
despite the best laid plans of men and science, fissure and crack. In so doing 
it simply responds to a natural law. The cracking that occurs prior to this 
period of service is of supreme concern to the painter. Probably the greatest 
cause of varnish cracking — the cause that towers above all other causes — is 
developed by the hurried system of painting — forcing one coat over another 
not perfectly dry. Imperfectly dried rubbing coats, or a lack of uniformity 
in the selection of the varnishes used, often cause cracking. For example, 
a quick drying 



rubbing varnish, 
or a hard drying 
finishing, even, 
is employed, 
over which a 
slow drying, 
elastic finishing 

is used. Antagonism between the varnish coats, or between the varnish 
and color coats; improperly adjusted foundation coats; exposure to sudden 
atmospheric changes, including excessive heat; the action of ammonia; poor 
material— all of these are underlying causes of varnish cracking. Imper- 
fectly seasoned panels or moisture penetrating thin wood panels will tend to 
crack the varnish used over such surfaces. The cracks in varnish due to a 
continued straining of the panels are termed "force cracks." 

Force cracks are usually found just over the steps on the carriage body, 
running in long, circular lines, also on the panels under the seat riser, and 
on the seat riser. The vibration of light, insecurely stiffened carriage bodies 
is generally a direct cause of premature cracking of varnish. The accom- 
panying cut of a buggy body shows the usual location and sweep of force 
cracks. This class of surface fissures is very easily distinguished from those 
due to causes previously mentioned. 

SWEATING. 

Sweating is the taking on of a gloss after the varnish coat has been 
rubbed. The principal cause of varnish sweating is rubbing it before it has 




56 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXB WAGOX PAINTIXG. 

sufficiently hardened. Varnish laid over a coat of color or .of varnish that 
lacks somewhat of being dry is prone to sweat. When a coat of varnish has 
been rubbed and allowed to stand for some time — over night, say, — in a close 
paint or varnish room atmosphere, it will take on a sort of a gloss or greasy 
scum which comes under the head of sweating. It would be in the highest 
degree dangerous to permanent or brilliant results to flow a coat of varnish 
directly over a sweaty surface. The sweat that overspreads a rubbed 
varnish surface by reason of the absorption of atmospheric impurities can be 
quickly removed by lightly rubbing with a little rotten stone and water. 
The sweating out of a surface rubbed before it has adequately hardened can 
only be remedied by allowing the surface to become hard and then 
re-rubbing. 

DEADENING, SINKING IN, ETC. 

This describes a varnish when it goes "fiat," loses its lustre, and refuses 
to shine in the public eye. The causes of this trouble are, briefly; unsea- 
soned timber, imperfectly dried under coats, such as, for illustration, a 
four-day rubbing varnish surfaced and finished over after permitting the 
rubbing only two days in which to dry. Porous under coats which absorb 
too great a percentage of the oil of the varnish cause deadening; and porous 
under coats, let us bear in mind, produce by far the larger share of varnish 
deadening. 

PITTING. 

Pitting transforms a film of varnish into an expanse of minute indenta- 
tions or pits, and simply represents in an aggravated form what is commonly 
known as pin-holing. The depravity is caused by a lack of uniformity in 
atmospheric conditions during the drying process, such as from warm to 
cold, dry to moist; mixing varnish of various grades; varnishing over a 
sweaty surface or over imperfectly dried color or varnish coats, or in an 
apartment having an excessively wet floor, or during a day of unusual 
moisture. Pitting may also come from varnishing over a surface rubbed 
through to the under coats. Varnish charged with gaseous impurities, or a 
varnish not sufficiently ripened, is powerfully inclined to pit. Dirty varnish, 
sometimes ditto. Soap or grease smears will cause pitting, as will also too 
oily under coats. Draughts of cold air have been known to cause bad cases 
of pitting. 

ENAMELING, SILKING, ETC. 

Applied to a varnish surface when it assumes the appearance of enameled 
leather or silk. Varnish used upon a hot, humid, moist, sticky day often 
goes silky or enamels. Dog day conditions usually invite enameling or 
silking. Varnish put on in a cold room is liable to enamel. Brushing 
varnish too long, adding turpentine to it, using an oil-saturated brush or 
mixing different makes or grades of varnish cause the depravities here 
mentioned. / 



PRACTICAL CABBIAGE AXU WAGOY FAINTING. 57 

SEEDY OR SPECKY. 

Caused by want of thoroughness in cleaning and dusting a surface 
preparatory to varnishing. Likewise by the skinning over of a varnish, the 
broken particles of the skin then working into the liquid and thence 
conveyed to the surface. Also by using an unripe varnish, or a chilled 
varnish, or by varnishing on a cold, damp day in a room not properly 
heated. 

The "lous}^" or dirty varnish brush begets the seedy, specky work. It 
is a fruitful cause of such work, in fact. 

CRAWLING. 

When a varnish, after having been spread upon a surface, contracts, 
picks itself up into patches, and otherwise vanishes from parts of the surface 
which should continue to reflect its lustre, it is said to have crawled. 
Causes: Putting it over a color or varnish ground not quite dry; using oil 
in the color-and-varnish, or using oil in the color coat to give it a decided 
egg-shell gloss; handling the work with greasy hands or washing it with 
water in the slightest degree soapy or fatty. Probably the egg-shell gloss, 
however, is the most prolific cause of varnish crawling. To remedy this 
trouble wash the work with clean water, dry off with the chamois skin, and 
varnish immediatel5^ 

WRINKLING, CRINKLING, ETC. 

These are caused by putting on a too heavy coat of varnish, or by not 

dressing it out and wiping it up properly; also by using a varnish not 

sufi&ciently ripened. A varnish which shows wrinkling or crinkling while 

standing in a warm room may be made to assume an aggravated form of the 

trouble by simply transferring the work to a cold apartment. In the case of 

varnish wrinkling or crinkling, methods of prevention are preferable to any 

system of cure. 

RUNS, SAGS, CURTAINS, DRAPERIES, ETC. 

Some of the causes which develop the depravities outlined in the 
foregoing paragraph are responsible for those at the head of this one. Other 
causes are: I^ack of uniformity in the application of the varnish, one brushful 
of the liquid being nicely worked out and the next ouq being the reverse, or 
the varnish being applied heavier on one part of the surface than on another, 
or too heavy a coat serving as the predominate feature throughout. 
Careless, incomplete wiping up around mouldings, bolt-heads, nuts, and 
fixtures of that order, generates runs, sags, etc. To reduce these deviltries, 
first rub with water and pulverized pumice stone. Then pare off a few 
shavings from a bar of common house soap, dip the rubbing pad freshly 
coated with pumice stone into the shreds of the alkaline compound, and rub 
briskly over the offending deviltry. After using the soap, rinse off with 
clean water very thoroughly. Then rub lightly with rotten stone and wash 
thoroughly. 



58 PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

RIDGING, ROUGHING. 

These terms are given to a surface that resembles a corrugated panel, 
showing a ridgy, furrowy expanse. Timidity or the spirit of the painter- 
afraid-of-his- varnish provokes this lamentable surface condition. After the 
varnish has set past a certain tack and the brush is then drawn through it, 
roughing and ridging occurs. When one falls heir to this mishap, take a 
soft badger-hair brush and, procuring a small quantity of turpentine, proceed 
to apply the fluid plentifully over the panel. This will quickly soften the 
coat of varnish so that by wiping the brush carefully out, the loosened 
varnish can be easily brushed off and the surface immediately revarnished. 
PERISHING, CRUMBLING, RUSTING. 

By this we mean a gradual loss of lustre, the final result of which is a 
disruption of the surface ending in a complete destruction of the varnish. 
Washing with water heated beyond the tepid degree is an engaging bid for 
the disaster here noted. Ammonia fumes, coal gas, salt sea air, soil of 
limestone localities, etc., cause varnish to perish and crumble away. 

CHIPPING, FLAKING, PEELING. 

The separation of one varnish coat, or certain parts of it, from another, 
or from a coat of color is known as "chipping," "flaking," or "peeling." 
Causes: Moisture in the wood; imperfectly dried under coats; grease and 
smoke from the smithshop; failure to maintain the proper elasticity between 
the successive color or varnish coats. It is very probable that the most 
active and effective cause arises from the use of adulterated turpentine, 
inferior japan, and a poor, low quality material generally. 

FIRE CHECKS. 

These consist of a delicate tracery of almost invisible fissures radiating 

every which way. The displeasing effects of fire checks are not fully 

disclosed until the finishing varnish has been laid. An extra coat or two 

of rubbing varnish will usually suffice to conceal all traces of a moderate 

array of fire checks. 

GREENING. 

This comes from the use of too many clear rubbing or finishing coats of 
varnish to a black surface. Successive coats of clear rubbing varnish, 
capped with a heavy coat of finishing, applied over a black japan ground, 
affords a pronounced and, in some respects, enticing shade of green. 
Greening of a varnish surface is also effected by confining the freshly 
varnished work in a dark apartment while the drying is going on. When 
the work is fit to remove from the varnish drying room, in order to intensify 
the greening, it may be stored in a dark room or repository for a time. 
Recently varnished surfaces held for a few weeks in dark apartments green 
rapidly. Prevention: Use black color-and-varnish over black color grounds. 
Add a dash of black color to each of the clear rubbing coats up to and 



PBACTICAL CAREIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 59 

including the final rubbing. Furnish the drying room with plenty of light 
on all sides, and, so far as possible, insist .vigorously upon the necessity of 
light, airy carriage houses and repositories, 

BLOOMING. 

Blooming is a whitish, metallic-like film, like unto the bloom on a plum 
or peach, which obscures the brilliancy of the varnish. It is variously 
known in the trade as going cloudy, smoky, or foggy. Varnish surfaces 
exposed to a moist atmosphere, to smoke, or to the fumes of the blacksmith 
shop are apt to bloom. If the blooming is of recent origin, a thorough 
washing and drying off with the "shammy" will generally restore the lustre 
of the varnish. If of long standing and therefore of a virulent type, the only 
effectual remedy is rubbing with pulverized pumice stone and water and 
re-varnishing. 

BLISTERS. 

The varnish surface, dry or apparently so, when afilicted with little 

eruptions, after the fashion of pustules on the human cuticle, is said to have 

blistered. The disease is caused by moisture in the wood, exposure to the 

intense rays of the sun during the early days of service, or to the presence 

of oil or grease on the surface directly under the finishing coat or between 

any of the preceding coats of varnish or color. Soft under coats develop 

blisters, their development through this medium being in this wise: Coats 

of lead, heavy in body, and perchance a bit fatty or gummy, are applied to 

the surface. Such coats do not dry thoroughly. Oil in color coats tends to 

the same result. They deceive the workman, being apparently dry, but not 

really, when choked up under subsequent coatings. A surface sobuilded is 

eventually put into service and submitted to the sunlight. Warmed by the 

heat, these undried particles of color or lead quickly respond to the law of 

expansion. The varnish, supple and full of elasticity, instead of cracking 

and splitting into fissures, simply swells up with the paint. Fierce stove or 

steam heat causes blisters. A varnish blister, if not located upon a too 

prominent portion of the surface, may be reduced to a surface fracture easily 

overlooked, by puncturing with a needle and then pressing the rupture 

down with a wet sponge. 

SPOTTING. 

There are several forms of this ailment, viz., mud spotting, soapy or 
dirty water spotting, and the spotting caused by strong currents of air 
beating powerfully upon the varnish surface. Mud spotting is by far the 
most malignant type of the depravity herein mentioned. An elastic high 
grade varnish is more susceptible to the poison contained in earthy accumu- 
lations than the hard drying or the low grade varnish. 

Accumulations of mud allowed to dry upon a freshly varnished surface 
spot the varnish through the action of the suction or capillary attraction of 
the dry mud extracting the oil from the varnish. Again, the spotting may 



60 FliACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 

be due to actual saponification, by the alkaline mud, not only of the oil, but 
of the gum constituent of the varnish as well. 

City mud strongly charged with ammonia, and the mud of lime districts, 
is notoriously destructive to varnish lustre. While it rarely happens that 
any sort of treatment short of rubbing off the surface and re-varnishing 
proves satisfactory, the trouble may now and then be effaced, temporarily, at 
least, by first rubbing the spots with a rag moistened with equal parts of 
linseed oil, turpentine, and alcohol, and then immediately polishing with a 
soft piece of blotting paper. 

Soapy or dirty water spotting, which may be distinguished by the 
usually correct circle outline, is difficult, if not impossible, of effacement, 
especially if allowed to long remain upon the surface, as the potash and acid 
nature of the water takes a ready and sharp hold of the varnish. A prompt 
washing off with clean soft water will sometimes prove a cure. This failing, 
rubbing off and re-varnishing must be resorted to. 

The gases generated by an ordinary coal stove or blacksmith's forge, if 
permitted for long to attack a varnish surface, will effect a particularly 
grievous type of spotting. This will manifest itself in the form of dull, 
lustreless spots richly suffused with a film of greasiness. The rubbing down 
and re-varnishing is the only reliable and sure cure for this depravity. 
Spotting caused by unusual or disturbing currents of air beating with 
moderate or fierce intensity upon a sensitive surface is met with in the shape 
and appearance of dull, indistinctly defined spots, irregular in form, some- 
times elongated, frequently of conoidical outline. The first indications of 
this variety of spotting should be met with a prompt washing off with clean 
water and a careful drying up under the chamois skin. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

STRIPING: THE PURPOSE OF STRIPING- HOW TO BECOME A STRIPER- 
PENCILS AND THEIR CARE— MIXING STRIPING COLORS— NAMES OF 
STRIPES — STRIPING DESIGNS, INCLUDING PANELS AND CORNER- 
PIECES— ETC., ETC. 



T 



HE chief and essential purpose of striping is to impart a beautifying 
effect to the surface upon which it is used. To accomplish this 
purpose it must be so perfectly and artistically executed that the 




Fig. 1. Fine Liner. 

colors employed in painting the surface are made to reflect their most 
charming harmonies and contrasts, while the outlines of the surface itself 
are cast into more graceful relief. The art of striping, when it achieves this 
result, maybe said to have successfully performed its office; and the expert 
exponent of this art, it need scarcely be added, is accounted an important 
member of every well-regulated paint shop family. 

To be a really skilled striper, the workman needs to be the possessor of 
a steady hand, or, in the words of another, of "hand magic," of an accurate 
eye, and plenty of color sense. In point of fact, it is highly necessary that 
the striper should be a good colorist; one, in short, who is thoroughly 
conversant with the rules of color harmony and contrast. 

The first law with which the novice or learner of the art of striping or 
ornamenting is confronted is that of color and form. This he must study 
patiently and persistently, the while practicing with the pencil in order that 
the purely mechanical part of the art be well mastered. Grace, freedom, 
sure-handedness, are indispensable factors, as applied to the mechanical 
features of striping and ornamenting, and these can be attained only through 




Fig. 2. Medium Fine Liner. 

the agency of diligent practice, combined with the help of an eye educated 
to act quickly and accurately. There can be no arbitrary rules laid down 
to govern the art of striping in so far as it has reference to style. Style is 



62 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



but the fleeting fancy of "the passing show," and while it is here today it 
may be gone tomorrow. Hence, the fashion in striping is indefinite and 
sufficiently elastic to adapt itself to local requirements without departing far 




Fig. 3. Heavy or Medium Line. 

from what may chance to be at the time generally accepted as the prevailing 
style. For, after all, the striping must be subordinate to form, color, and 
surface, and its lavish or meagre employment, in plain or fancy design, is 
controlled very largely thereb}^ 

THE STRIPER'S OUTFIT. 

The pencil equipment is properl}^ a matter of the first concern to the 
striper. The last decade has witnessed the retirement, in large part at least, 
of the round pencils, save when stripes are to be done in sizes exceeding 
}i in. The vividly sensational name of ' 'dagger' ' or ' 'sword pencil' ' has 
been applied to the pencil which has taken the place of the round liner. 
Practically all vehicle stripers use these pencils at present. A single pencil, 
if necessary, can be made to draw a various assortment of lines, running 

from the hair line to the 
round line, or even heavier. 
But, all things considered, 
Fig. 4. Round Pencil. the writer deems it best to 

For Stout Line and Round Line. j^ave a pencil made to draw 

a certain line and no other. This necessitates the ownership of a larger 
equipment of pencils, but it also provides for uniformly good work more 
easily accomplished than can be expected when one pencil is made to do 
duty in drawing the variously sized lines called for in the average carriage 
and wagon shop. In Fig. 1, accompanying this chapter, is shown a fine line 
sword pencil. This draws a hair line when filled properlj^, and cannot be 
made to exceed a fine line and do effective work. Fig. 2 is a medium fine 
line pencil, and Fig. 3 represents a pencil with which a fine line or a round 
line, or anj^ line varying between these two, may be drawn. The striper 
should be provided with at least four different sizes of pencils. To make 



Fig. 5. 
the sword pencil, proceed as follows: Take the desired portion of hair from a 
large camel' s-hair pencil of selected quality, and draw to the proper bevel 
from one side of the flat portion of the hair. Then, taking the/hair carefully 



rHACTICAL CARRIMtE AXn ]\AGOX PAIXTIXG. 



63 



HAiK Link 



Fine Line 



Stout Line 



ROUNJ) 

Line 



Narrow 
Stripe 



Heavy 
Stripe 



Broad 
Stripe 



COMBINATION LINES AND STRIPES. 



64 PB ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AXB WAGON PAINTING. 



Double 
fiNE Line 



Double 
Stout Line 



Double 

roundline 



Double 

Round 
Line 

Fine Line 
Center 



COMBINATION LINES AND STRIPES. 

/ 



FliACTIC^LL CAERIAGE ANU WAGON FAINTING. 



65 




Narrow 
, Stripe 
Parallel 

Fine Lines 




Full 
Stripe 




Divided 
Stripe 




Divided 
Stripe 
Distance 
Fine Line 



COMBINATION LINES AND STRIPES. 



66 



PBACTICAL CAERIAGE ANU WAGOK FAINTING. 



in the left hand, with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand work a bit 
of trimmer's paste into the end that is inserted into the handle. Narrow 
strips of paper, say }i in. in width, and of the full length of the hair, are 
cut and spread with a thin glazing of the paste, and on these prepared strips, 
about the center of _ ^ __ 
them, lay the hair, j 

keeping it perfectly t 

straight. Next, fold > 

the uncovered por- 
tions of the paper 
over the hair. The 
day following, or at 
any time in the fu- 
ture, the superfluous 
hair and paper may 
be trimmed from the 
embryo pencil and a 
handle attached. A 
straight-grained piece 
of pine affords a good 
handle. Split in cen- 
ter of handle, insert 
the hair in the split, 
wrap tightly with 
stout linen thread, and 
the pencil is ready for 
use. In the making 
of the sword pencil 
there is often a super- 
fluity of short hairs, 
of which it is desirable 
to be well rid. To 
remove them, take 
the hair before it is 
greased, and with the 
end that is to be 
bound with the thread 
held between the 
thumb and forefinger 
of the left hand, pull the long hairs over to the right, thus exposing the 
short and useless hairs and affording an easy removal of them. This process 
of weeding out the naturally short hair develops the pencil of one length of 
stock excepting, of course, the desired taper of the tool. While many 
supply houses now furnish sword pencils of all sizes and lengths, the first- 




PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



67 



class stripers, the chevaliers of the art, prefer to make their own pencils, and 
the writer heartily coincides with that preference, the shop-made pencil 
usually having a poise and balance not possessed by the store-purchased 
article. To those of my readers who accept the dictum that there is no 

royal road to the art of striping; that 
the severe schooling in the busy arena 
of every-day practice is the culture 
that graduates the talented striper, I 
would say, learn to make your pencils. 
Your first attempt, or your second, 
and perhaps even your third, may not 
result successfully, but patience and a 
capacity for taking infinite pains will 
eventually, if not shortly, win. It is 
best to make pencils in lots of ^ doz. 
Two or three out of the lot, even after 
one becomes tolerably proficient in 
pencil making, may prove defective. 
The method of making the sword 
pencil, as above advised, has the 
advantage of being easily and quickly 
acquired, and is therefore recommended 
to the learner as a feasible one to 
adopt. With these sword, or dagger, 
pencils many of the ornamental strip- 
ing designs which will accompany this 
and later chapters may be executed, 
the extreme point of the pencil being 
used in describing all curves and fancy 
circles. 

To make a round fine line pencil 
suited to the execution of corner pieces 
and cut up striping generall)^, take a 
camel' s-hair round pencil of large size, 
from which extract the desired quan- 
tity of hair. Then cut a small piece 
of cedar down to about ys in. diameter 
at one end and considerably smaller at 
the other. In the smaller end insert a 
pin until it holds firmly. Then, say, 
^ in. from the wood, clip the pin off. 
Now shave the stick off until it tapers 
perfectly down to the pin. Next take 
the desired quantity of hair, and 




68 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




dipping one end of the brush into shellac, lay 
aside for a few minutes to permit the shellac 
to harden. Then insert the pin and tapered 
point of the wood until the clear working 
length of the pencil measures at least 1^2 in. 
from point of pin. Begin at the lower end of 
the hair and wind with strong thread up to 
within )4, in. from point of pin. The pin acts 
in the capacity of a stiffener to the pencil. 

The durability and poise and elasticity of 
striping and let- 



t e r i n g pencils 
depend very 
greatly upon the 
manner of caring 
for them. The 
striper should 
provide himself 
with a dust-proof 
m e ta 1 box in 
which to store 
his pencil equip- 
ment. See that it is furnished with lock and 
ke}'. The local tinsmith will, for a small con- 
sideration, outfit such a box with a tin tra}^ 
upon which the pencils may be carefully 
arranged. A striping or lettering pencil 
should be immediately washed out in turps 
upon the conclusion of the work in hand. 
Care ma)- well be invoked in washing, to the 
end that all pigment accumulations are re- 
moved from the heel of the pencil. Wipe the 
pencil dry in soft cotton or flannel cloths and 
then grease thoroughly, pressing the grease 
carefull)^ into the heel of the tool. A good 
grease for preserving pencils in winter is pure 
lard; in summer, lard and mutton tallow, equal 
parts. The writer personally vouches for the 
excellence of a mixture composed of mutton 
tallow, 3 parts; sweet oil, 1 part. This serves 
as a good all-round pencil grease, suited to all 
extremes of temperature, and one the painter 
will find useful in keeping his pencils in good 
order. 




PRACTICAL CARBIA^rE AND WAGON PAIXTING. 



59 



MIXING STRIPING COLORS. 

This comprises a difficult and skilled feature 
of the art of striping. Colors which are 

\\ \ X y yi worked and controlled easily and dry relia- 

\.^\.y\. X jrj bly, are important aids to good striping. 

— ^ ^ ^ X -C Therefore, in order to insure speed, shapel}^ 

lines, and satisfactory color efifects, the striper 
will find it greatly to his advantage to closely 
and intelligently study the composition of 
pigments. Some colors have the defect of 
being "short." In other words, the)^ do not 
naturally work freely from the point of the 
pencil, blotching and flowing out in patches. 
It is not within the province of the painter to 
cure this ailment, but it is possible for him to 
remed}^ it somewhat. And how? B}^ abstain- 
ing from the use of oil altogether, and depend- 
ing solel}' upon a mixture of japan, varnish, 
and turpentine, the proportions of these 
liquids being governed by the liquids in which 
the colors were ground. Oil colors in carriage 
painting are restricted to a narrow margin of 
use. This speciall}^ applies to colors employed 
in striping, as, save in purely lead colors, the 
oil has a bad habit of working to the surface of 
the pigment. When, to meet a certain re- 
quirement or emergency, it is found necessary 
to use oil in the striping color, it is advisable 
to also add a few drops of quick rubbing 
varnish as a means of holding the oil in place. 
White, black, and some of the yellows are 
usually found under the head of short colors. 
Flake and cremnitz white are invariably 
designated as short colors. If such colors are 
to be used for fine lining, mix with a little 
rubbing varnish and tint the white slightly 
witli drop black. This furnishes a fairly free 
working white which shows no laps. 

Black may best be described as a riotous, 
wild-running color, strongly in need of a 
sturdy steadying liquid. In thinning black to 
a working consistency, add, say }{ rubbing varnish. Balanced with this 
proportion of rubbing varnish, a finely-ground tube black usually works 
handsomely. The writer would advise mixing all striping colors to the 




70 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




right consistency in the cups, 
instead of using them on the 
palette in a thick paste and 
thinning down under the pencil 
as fast as used. Colors furnished 
with the right ingredients, prop- 
erl 3^ proportioned, the whole be- 
ing thoroughly united and incor- 
porated, constitute a fine work- 
ing basis for effective striping. 

NAMES OF STRIPES. 

In all the foremost carriage 
and wagon centres the various 
styles of striping are designated 
by specific names. This makes 
it an easy matter to give an 

order and have it accurately executed without confusion or unnecessary 
delay. Appended will be found the principal lines and stripes generall}^ 
employed, the medium lines and stripes only being omitted. As, for instance 
medium fine line, medium heavy round line, and medium stripe; these being 
deemed irrelevant to the illustration in hand. The first, or hair, line is the 
finest line used, the fine line coming next, the line thus gradually increasing 
iu size until it reaches the broad stripe. What is known as the medium fine 
line is simply the fine line broadened to the extent of about ^ increase in 

size. The medium heav}' 
round line is the round 
line with the width of 
hair line added to it, 
while the medium stripe 
is the narrow stripe in- 
creased by the addition 
of a fine line width. A 
pencil tracing exceeding 
y^ in. is termed a stripe; 
less than }i in., a line. 
As herewith shown 
the simple lines and 
stripes are seven in 
number, and the com- 
bination lines and stripes 
are presented in eight 
examples. In the cut 
_ of the divided stripe, 
distance fine line, the 




riiACTICAL CABBIAGE AXJJ WAGOX PAINTING. 



71 




distance line is drawn nearer to the stripe than 
it is customary to allow. While there is no 
arbitrary rule to govern the spacing of the 
distance line from the stripe, it is usually 
drawn not less than }{. in. from center line or 
stripe. Oftentimes, too, it is placed at a dis- 
tance of scant yi in., as here shown. 

The accompanying striping designs adapted 
to traps, drags, stanhopes, concords, and 
pleasure vehicles generall}' (used also on 
business vehicles) consist of corner and center 
pieces. Their representation may suggest 
extensions or changes, through the medium 
of which a wide variety of designs may be 
evolved. To specify the colors in which each 
design is best illuminated would exceed the 
limits accorded this chapter. 

The color of the panel determines the color 
of the design, or should. A pleasing contrast 
to the bod}'- color should be sought, and in 
this achivement the workman's taste and art 
sense must be exercised in lieu of printed 
directions. 

The panel designs, if placed on any dark 
surface, may be placed in white and trimmed 
in green, blue, vermilion, etc. ; or they may be 
placed in carmine and tricked out in any of 
the many neatly contrasting colors. The 
finest carmine effects are obtained by glazing 
orange or chrome yellow with carmine. 
Against the fashionable blue surfaces many of 
these designs present fetching effects if drawn 
in gold, white, or king's yellow. Against 
yellow grounds they may be effectively shown 
in two or three shades of red. These sugges- 
tions apply also, in the main, to the corner 
pieces. The three last designs on page 184 
may be laid in gold, shaded with asphaltum, 
high lighted with light yellow. The fine 
lines can be done in any harmonizing color. 
Some of the small solid parts of these designs 
can be glazed with carmine and verdigris. 
Some of the designs may be executed iu 
orange, glazed with carmine and high ledtghi 



72 



PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 





CORNER DESIGNS. 



I'EACTICAL CAEEIAGE AKI) WAGON PAINTING. 



73 



with chrome yellow. Or the broad portions may be done in some solid 
color and the fine lines in a slightly different shade of the same color. On- 
blue panels the simple fine line pieces may be done with lining bronze glazed 
with ultramarine blue; or on green panels use chrome yellow and glaze with 
carmine. 




In fact, there is an infinite variety of colors to be used in the develop- 
ment of the designs here presented, and the still other designs which it is 
hoped they may suggest, the controlling factor in the selection of colors 
being simpl}^ and at all times the color of the surface upon which the design 
is to be used. In connection with this must exist the law of harmony and 
contrast, without which any selected color scheme will prove ineffective. 



PB ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




CHAPTER IX. 

SCROLLING: RELIEF AND FLAT SCROLLS— HOW TO LEARN SCROLLING— 
SCROLLS DONE IN GOLD, ALUMINUM, AND IN COLORS— EXAMPLES 
OF RELIEF AND FLAT SCROLLS. 

SCROIvIv painting is a feature of the trade deserving of more than a 
passing notice; and while it has been permitted to languish in a state 
of disuse for a decade or more, as compared to its former popularity, 
there are evidences abroad which point directly to the generous employment 
of the art of scrolling in wagon painting ere long. 

Perhaps we shall never again observe the return of the fine old Roman 
scroll, bold and imperial, once so common, but a modification of this noblest 
Roman of them all, or, rather, a combination of this form of scroll and some 
other forms requiring less space for attractive display, may be expected. 
Indeed, the modification is already domiciled in the esteem of business 
vehicle users, being commonly known under the title of composite scroll. 

The full Roman scroll, de- 
fined as an imitation of carved 
work in relief, which Raphael 
and other great masters have 
so magnificently executed, isj 

of large and shapely propor- 

j .,, .^\. Scroller's Line of Beauty. 

tions, and with its tine sweeps, 

graceful curves, beautiful examples of leafing, and endless variety of twists 
and turns, cannot be confined to a restricted space. It is pre-eminently a scroll 
of stately style, and amid dwarfish surroundings or when reduced to less 
than its natural size, its identity is lost and its character as one of the earliest 
forms of ornamentation, completely destroyed. Hence the modification 
above referred to. 

In learning the art of scrolling, as in learning the art of striping, it is 
distinctly fortunate to remember that there is no royal road — no mystic 
method by which one can master the art under the soothing influence of a 
mid-summer night's dream. The acquirement of the art, as the past masters 
of the school of ornamental painting understood and practiced it, is the 
result of patient, arduous practice. For this purpose, a good-sized black- 
board is in every way the most desirable surface upon which to work. The 
beginner should under uo circumstances confine his efforts to learn scrolling 




76 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGOi^ PAINTING. 




Fig. 1 



rii ACTIO AL CARRIA ^iE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



TT 




Fig. 2. 



78 



im ACTIO AL CABTIIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




Fig. 



PBAGTICAL CAEBIAGE AXD WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 



79 




Fig. 4. 



to a pad of paper and a lead pen- 
cil. As an eminent instructor of 
the art once declared: "Work 
with a lead pencil on a 2x4 
paper, and the chances are that 
your scrolls will be of the 2x4 
order." Working upon the 
blackboard with a chalk crayon 
gives the learner a freedom of 
reach and a valiant command of 
the pencil attained in no other 
wa)'. The easy, free-hand work, 
although it may be lacking in 
certain highly desirable features 
of gracefulness, compels the 
favorable attention of the critic 
to an extent of which the copy 
plate design, mathematically precise in general execution, may fall 
lamentably short. There is a sort of an indefinable naturalness about the 
original, free-hand scroll quite foreign to the ornament drawn to rule and 
square measurements. It possesses a quality that elicits admiration, just as 
madam's tea gown, 

"That floats away where it properly may, 
And clings where it ought to cling," 

is looked upon as a dainty creation, wondrous fair to see. 

The blackboard and chalk crayon exercise is valuable in imparting to 
the learner a natural and unstudied twist of the wrist, together with a whole- 
arm movement that most assuredly must be at the command of the scroll 
workman. Only by such exercise can the quick, artistic hand be acquired 
along with an eye trained to correct 
proportions. 

Hogarth's line of beauty can be 
more expeditiously mastered under 
the stimulus of blackboard practice 
than is possible through the aid of 
most other mediums. Make the 
figures big and reaching, in sweeps 
backward and forward, up, down, 
and in a variety of outlines. This 
practice will be hard and irksome 
at first, and, unless one is naturally 
gifted in this particular line of 
work, the results accomplished may 
appear crude and awkward even 




Fig. 5. 



80 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




Figs. 6 and 7. 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AXB WAGOX PAINTING. 



81 




after weeks of patiently applied 

toil. But in the realms of art 

few things, to speak in the noble 

lingo of the Bowery, are "dead 

easy. ' ' Therefore, blackboard 

work should be studiously ad- 
hered to, the work of eminent 

exponents of ornamental painting 

studied, as the mariner studies 

the ocean chart, and advantage 

taken of all the other aids pro- 
motive of a rare degree of skill. 

The scroll painter able to discard ♦ ■ 

pounce pattern and tape line 

measurements is licensed to 

impart a charm and novelt}'-, a Fig. 8. 

grace and variety, to his work, not effected otherwise- The spiral may be 

termed the basis of scroll work. Intersecting the spiral are the leaves and 

stems, which, shaded, lighted, and high-lighted, give form and color to the 

relief scroll. 

The learner, having become sufficiently proficient to outline fairly good 

scrolls with the crayon, should procure some large sheets of paper — raanilla 

paper will do — and paint them in some dark color and then proceed to draw 

the scrolls with the pencil. 

In the matter of pencils, different kinds and sizes will be needed. For 

laying on the scroll, a black sable hair pencil, the hair set in metal, running 

in size from No. 4 to No. 8, according to the size of the scroll, and 1}4 inches 

long, is an effective and pleasingly durable 
tool. For shading purposes a shorter and 
softer hair pencil is best; say a camel's-hair 
pencil ^ inch in length. However, a variety 
of pencils, both sable and camel's-hair, and of 
the various sizes, will be found essential in 
doing the large and small ornaments which 
the accompan3'ing examples may suggest. 
Necessary adjuncts to the pencil equipment 
are, the palette, palette cups, and mahl-stick. 
An oval palette, made thin and smooth, of 
mahogany, walnut, or even ash, polished 
nicely on a shellac base, has for long been 
popular, and in point of excellence remains 
unexcelled. Make the mahl-stick of cedar 
preferably; work it out round and smooth and 
tip it with a small ball of cotton enclosed in a 




Fig. 9. 



82 



PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




~ patch of chamois skin. Taking the 
accompan3-ing illustrated section of 
a Roman scroll (see Fig. 1) as a 
working draft, begin by allowing 
the point of the pencil to touch the 
surface and then with a confident, 
easy sweep twist the pencil around so 
as to form, say, the first spiral or 
volute. Next do the stems and off- 
shoots attached to this volute. Prac- 
tice to do each spiral, and the stems 
putting out therefrom, with a single, 
and at most two, strokes of the pencil. 
The first principle of fine scrolling 
consists in getting easy, graceful 
sweeps, suggestive, perhaps, I may 
^^" ^^- be allowed to say, of the poetry of 

pencil motion. The tracery of a stilted, cramped pencil sweep is fatal to the 
balance and grace of a scroll. In practice the student will probably choose 
gold bronze as the most desirable substitute for gold leaf in working out his 
gold-finished scroll. The figure, without its shading, affords a flat scroll of 
fantastic contour, as a draft of Fig. 1, devoid of the shades, will quickly 
prove. 

The shading of the scroll must be done in the same free, off-hand style 
that must necessarily mark the evolution of the general figure of the orna- 
ment. If, as above intimated, the scroll is done in imitation of or in the 
real gold leaf, the shading is best done with asphaltura, this pigment offering 
the only true shadow, authorities 
contend, of gold. Mix the 
asphaltum with good coach 
japan and turpentine, half and 
half. Reference to Fig. 1, and 
to the other accompanying illus- 
trations, will indicate more accu- 
rately than printed directions the 
parts of a scroll requiring shades. 
The inadequac}^ of written in- 
structions teachingtheparticular 
portions of the ornament to be 
high-lighted must be apparent to 
the reader. Broadly speaking, 
where the strongest light strikes 
there high lights should be. 
For a really practical insight of 




PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 



83 




this phase of the work the student should 
stud}^ examples of finished scrolls done in 
the highest style of the art. The gold 
scroll shaded with asphaltum invites high- 
lighting with white or cream color. 

In the execution of relief scrolls it is 
needful to observe: 

1. — All ornaments must have a reason — 
a useful thing done in a graceful -way. 

2. — Every line should be boldly, clearly, 
and elegantly drawn. 

3. — Harmony of design, balance of pro- 
portions, S5^mpathetic formation of the 
various parts, demand vigilant maintenance. 

4. — Originality of design, with every part having an intimate relation- 
ship, an indivisible connection with every other part, is indispensable. 

In the execution of a relief scroll, or any st^-le of scroll for that matter, 
it is a factor of the first importance that the surface be smooth and thor- 
oughly dry. 

A great deal of business vehicle scrolling is necessarily done upon the 
color-and-varnish coat or upon clear rubbing varnish. To prevent the gold 
leaf (in case gold is used) from adhering to the varnish coat, various 
expedients have been resorted to, among which the whiting pounce figures 
as the most effective and the easiest applied. Other recipes include rubbing 
the surface with a thin solution of starch and water, or glazing it with the 
white of an egg, or wash- 
ing it with whiting and 
water, or applying a thin 
film of potato starch upon 
it. Good gilding size is 
very essential in the art 
of scrolling. The light 
and easy whirls of the 
pencil cannot be done 
with a size unsuited for 
the purpose. Moreover, 
shop requirements have 
to be met, and they may 
impose a limit of two 
hours in which the size 
must dry toda}-, and to- 
morrow that limit may 
be extended to four 
hours or even longer, and 




84 



PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 





PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



85 



perhaps — although in these days of 
ocean racers and Black Diamond 
flyers this may be a remote possi- 
bility — the size will be expected to 
hold over night, after its applica- 
tion, before being gilded. 

Quick size. — Gold size japan, 5 
parts; fat oil, 1 part. With a dash 
of japan ground chrome yellow, this 
size will dry to safely leaf over in 
)^ hour. 

Medium quick size. — Gold size 
japan, 4 parts; fat oil, 2 parts. 

Four-hour size. — Gold size japan 
and fat oil, in proportions of fi 
japan to }2, oil. 

Over-night size. — Fat oil with a 
few drops of gold size japan added. 
The slow drying size works 
better and affords a more satisfac- 
tory job of gilding than does the 
quicker mixture, the gold invariably 
taking a fine burnish over the slow, 
fat oil size. 

The best obtainable fat oil is 
made by confining boiled linseed oil 
in a bottle and exposing for a long 
time to the sun. 

To paint relief scrolls in colors is, 
in some respects, more difficult than 
doing them in gold or aluminum 
leaf, and while the radiant combina- 
tions of pigments furnish striking 
effects, there is lacking in the 
painted scroll a richness, an 
elegance, an aristocratic display, 
that constitute distinctive attributes 
of the gilded vScroll. The color of 
the surface upon which the scroll is to be painted should, of course, govern 
the color in which the scroll is to be laid. For example: If the ground be 
a light canary color, first fill the outlines of the scroll with a pale shade of 
brown. Then deepen the brown fully three shades, and begin the shading 
of the scroll, blending the deeper color into the lighter so that a gradual 
melting away from dark to light is the result. Next deepen the brown a 




86 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AX£> WAGOJ^ PAINTING. 



shade or two and place the darkest 
shades, blending them carefiill}^ into the 
lighter ones, but taking care not to 
extend the blending into the parts 
previously blended. Next take a little 
black and run a rather fine line of the 
color as a shadow to the scroll, the 
shadow usually being placed to the 
right of the scroll and at the bottom. 
This shadow line, to be properly devel- 
oped, should increase and diminish as 
the curves and twdsts are defined. A 
thin, fine glaze of asphaltum is then 
placed inside the black to shade and 
modulate it. Some lights of medium 
chrome yellow are next thrown in, and 
the high lights following are but a shade 
or two removed from white. To lend 
piquancy and a bit of warmth to the 
scroll, a few touches of vermilion, flick- 
ing the spirals here and there but invari- 
ably well removed from the lower edge 
of the pattern, are added. Instructions, 
however carefully they may be worded, 
are of but comparatively meagre helpful- 
ness to the novice in painting scrolls in 
colors. Correctly colored illustrations of 
scrolls done by such masters as Weber, 
Kuenzel and Redmond, should be dili- 
gently studied. 

The harmony of colors is the control- 
ling factor in the art scheme of a color- 
wrought scroll. Once perfectly familiar 
with this, the ambitious student should 
encounter no insurmountable hindrances 
to success as a scroll worker in colors. Referring to the relief scrolls which 
illustrate the text of this chapter, we would call attention to Fig. 1. If this 
be executed in gold it may, as previously suggested, be shaded with 
asphaltum, or asphaltum and yellow lake can be used, and the high lights 
done in a light tone of Naples yellow. Perhaps the workman may wish to 
impart to the deepest shading a look of remoteness. This can be done by 
giving the dark shades a thin wash of some transparent glazing color, as, 
r-,a.y, carmine, purple, and crimson lake, or ultramarine blue of the different 
shades. In Fig. 2 we have a panel design composed in small part of the orig- 
inal Roman scroll and in large part of the more modern style. I<ay this scroll 




rUACTICAL CARRIAGE A2CJJ WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 



87 







in gold, and then apply a coat of clear rubbing 
varnish over the ornament before shading, high- 
lighting, etc. A scroll of this pattern, cast in 
somewhat delicate outlines, must be very 
carefully shaded, and if the shading be done 
over the rubbing varnish, the tendency to 
cloud and blur will be overcome. In shading, 
care should be taken to preserve the form and 
outlines of the design, and this can best be 
done by making the shade color decidedly 
semi-transparent. To high-light this scroll, 
cream, orange, canary chrome, or pure white 
may beussd toadvantage. An ornament of this 
style loqks very catchy and handsome done in 
aluminum leaf. It is strikingly neat on almost 
any dark ground, wath the single exception, 
perhaps, of black; and it is especially pleasing 
against the numerous j^ellows so popular 
nowadays. Used on the pale yellow grounds, 
however, it is seen to the best advantage with 
portions of the design glazed wdth a wash of 
verdigris, ultramarine blue, or carmine. The 
fine line is then done in orange or Tuscan red. 
Fig. 3 is a rather showy design, of easy form, 
having fcr a small space none of the heavy 
appearance cf the Roman scroll. This scroll 
is intended for the panel of a business wagon. 
If done in gold, the directions for its execution 
have already been advanced. The broad line 
striping environing the scroll gives an admir- 
able effect if done in aluminum. The distance 
fine line can be drawn in the high-lighting 
color used on the scroll, or it affords an illum- 
inating effect done in orange and glazed with 
carmine. The size of the panel should govern 
the size of the broad stripe here shown. It 
may run from ^a inch to ^'s inch. Fig. 4 
illustrates a corner ornament for a large busi- 
ness vehicle or omnibus paneh It can be laid 
in gold and shaded and lighted as per direc- 
tions above. If upon a deep yellow, orange, 
or buff ground, it can be done to the charm of 
a rich effect by casting it in aluminum, shading 
with gold, and picking out with dainty flicks 



88 PEACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGOX PAINTING. 

of black. Fig. 5 looks effective on tne ends of small panels. On yellow or 
creamy grounds the fine lines may be drawn in orange glazed with carmine, 
and the ornaments in aluminum. Shade with brunt umber and burnt sienna, 
and the shade side of the shading splash lightly with deep blue and the 
high-light borders with light blue. On dark grounds the fine lines may be 
done in orange, carmine, blue, aluminum, etc., and the relief ornaments in 
gold. Figs. 6 and 7, ornaments for panel ends, and 8 and 9, corner orna- 
ments, all light up a surface radiantly placed in gold or aluminum, or they 
render a pleasing effect done in colors. Ornaments of the order of Figs. 7, 
8, and 9 display a dashing appearance done in three or four shades of green 
against pure white, gold color, light sulphur yellow, Naples yellow, or 
canary yellow grounds, black shadings being used to touch off the correct 
effect. Such ornaments, to be sure, when painted in colors should properly 
be made to respond closely to the laws of harmony and contrast. Too glaring 
colors or tints used upon goodly sized surfaces are violently detrimental to 
artistic decorative effects. Fig. 10 is chiefly of the flat ornament st5^1e, the 
center shell only being thrown in relief. This corner piece is done in gold 
with the shell shaded and lighted, or, as is frequently the case, the shell may 
be done in aluminum, and washed out with the proper relief colors. 

FLAT SCROLLS. 

The flat scroll is distinguished from the relief scroll in that it is lacking 
in all forms of relief ornamentation. The flat scroll is vastly more simple in 
its working out; hence many workmen essay the flat scroll who under no 
circumstances would attempt to execute a relief design. The flat scroll is 
almost invariably first placed upon the surface through the medium of the 
pounce pattern, and it is then filled in. The design of the flat scroll once 
laid out on paper, the painter used to manipulating a lettering or striping 
pencil can readily fill in the outlines. The designing of the flat scroll can best 
be done upon manilla paper, the tracings being executed with a lead pencil. 
Then lay the paper over a double thickness of, say, railway car plush and pick 
out the lines with a small awl. On wagon work the flat scroll put on by 
means of stencils is not often seen. In the railway car paint shop the flat 
scroll is usually stenciled on. 

Some decidedly captivating examples of flat scroll work are to be observed 
upon many business vehicles in the larger towns and cities. Many of these 
scrolls are laid in plain gold or aluminum, in a variety of colors, as well as 
in colors and gold, and very often aluminum. Frequently the heaviest 
parts, leaves, etc., are edged with some richly adorning color, and quite as 
often the veiningof the leaves is traced into prominence. The accompanying 
eight illustrations of flat scrolls, corner, end, and center panel patterns, will, 
it is hoped, afford at least a helpful working idea of the possibilities of the 
flat scroll style of vehicle ornamentation. 



CHAPTER X. 

LETTERING: WAGON LETTERING AS DISTINGUISHED FROM SIGN WRIT- 
ING—POINTS ON LEARNING THE ART— LAYING OUT, SPACING, OUT- 
LINING—SHADING—PUNCTUATION. ALPHABETS: ROMAN — MODI- 
FIED BLOCK — ORNAMENTAL — GRECIAN. DESIGNS FOR BUSINESS 
WAGON PANELS, ETC. 

OF lyATE years the art of sign writing, or, in the speech of tlie shop, 
lettering, has come to be so generally regarded as particularly 
distinct and apart from the other branches of painting, having a 
literature rich and diversified in its resources, that, at first thought, it would 
seem perfectly feasible and proper to omit from these chapters any attempt to 




Roman Alphabet. 

deal with the subject. Nevertheless, upon further consideration the writer 
has preferred to accept the art, for the present at least, as an indivisible part 
of the carriage and wagon painter's shop practice; and while a thorough 
exposition of modern sign writing would necessarily trespass immoderately 
upon the space allotted to the numerous and vitally essential phases of 
carriage and wagon painting, and cannot, therefore, be entered into, to 
ignore the branch altogether might fairly be branded as too palpable an 
oversight to merit excuse. Happily, however, the art of sign writing has 
been so extensively treated upon in numerous books devoted specially to the 
subject, and in hundreds of exhaustive magazine articles, that it becomes 



90 



PBACTICAL CAEBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



necessary in this chapter to touch only upon the salient features of the woi-k 
as they directly concern and apply to the interests of the carriage and wagon 
painter. 

Not later than fifteen years ago the standard st5desof the wagon letterer 
consisted of about five alphabets. The modern sign writer and letterer, 
encouraged and directed by the forces of recent business development, has to 
a large extent demolished this standard, substituting therefor what is gener- 
ally accepted as up-to-date sign writing — a style that readily admits of the 
employment of whatever form or style of letter will best and most vividly 
advertise the business it is intended to herald. Complaints have been 
sounded in widely read publications to the effect that ' 'it was at onetime the 
wagon letterer' s good fortune to possess an occupation and a name above 
that of the sign writer." "His work," we are told, "could be quickly 
distinguished from the ordinary letterer or sign painter by its boldness and 
the care given to details. These days have gone by, and we find the well- 





J. 



A 



56 




Roman Numerals. 

known and approved style of the wagon letterer prostituted to the idiosyn- 
crasies of house and sign painters." 

Such complaints, we are free to say, are in the main exaggerated. The 
wagon letterer has not been, nor is he in any present danger of being, 
Othello-like, without an occupation. Moreover, despite the adoption by the 
wagon letterers of those stjdes which most completely respond to the dictates 
of modern business, there still remain certain marked characteristics of the 
vehicle letterer' s work which distinguish it from the efforts of the most 
finished sign writer. Not that the work of the wagon letterer differs 
conspicuously from that of the expert general sign writer — the field of up- 
to-date sign work having merged the two branches into close relationship — 
but the difference is manifest, as before said, in characteristics most plainly 
unmistakable. Naturally, this variation should occur. 

A sign that would appear legible and clean cut upon a building might, 
if transferred to the panel of a more or less rapidly moving vehicle, prove 
unreadable and hopelessly indistinct. A sign attached to a building or other 
stationary object admits of study from the various points of the compass. 



PBACTICAL CARBIAGE A XI) WAGON PAINTING. 



91 



from near b}^ or afar off. It is not a fleeting show as in case of the vehicle 
sign, subject to laws of propulsion which vary to meet existing business 
exigencies. 

Perspective effects, heights, widths, thickness of lines, etc., because of 
the usually generous sweep of space at command, as secured by the sign 
writer, do not come within the scope of the wagon letterer's activity, save in 
rare instances. Ordinarilj^ wagon spaces to be lettered are of dwarfed 
dimensions and quite commonly cast in irregular outlines. In wagon 
lettering, whenever possible, the extended letter frequently has the prefer- 
ence. An able and widely observant critic says "it might almost be said 
that the customary speed of a vehicle can be measured by the degree of 
elongation which the letterer gives to his work, the lightning express car 
representing the ultimatum in one direction, while the mammoth furniture 
van, with its high art panels, is characteristic of the other." The chief 




Modified Block Alphabet. 

distinguishing feature of wagon lettering, as contrasted with the average 
results of sign writing, is found in the wider variety of elegant color effects 
to be remarked of the first named. The wagon letterer essays glazing with 
many of the beautiful transparent pigments, and in this wise brings forth 
charming combinations in color seldom attempted by the sign writer. 

The wagon letterer's work is done, as a rule, with quick drying colors or 
size, and almost invariably is varnished over. Surface smoothness is there- 
fore with him a matter of the first importance. The art of the wagon letterer 
is composed of many difficulties, each of which must be surmounted ere the 
learner can hope to stand among the select few and quaff the foam from the 
beaker of success. 

However, let me sa}^ that a thorough mastery of the art is worth all the 
toil, patient stud)^ diligent practice, and applied energy the aspirant may 
choo.se to expend. 



92 PRACTICAL CAJilllAGE AND WAGOX PAINTING. 

To acliieve proficiency in this branch of painting, it is advisable to 
practice outling letters with a chalk crayon, or, preferably, pipe clay on a 
goodly sized blackboard. All lines, straight or curved, should be drawn in 
free hand, and the practice ought, properly, to be regularly continued until 
the workman acquires a reliable degree of precision. Ease, freedom, and a 
masterly command of the hand, coupled with a fairly unerring accuracy of 
the eye, are justly indispensable accomplishments in sign writing or wagon 
lettering. Absence of mechanical aids will render free hand and e5'e work 
more assured. Many admittedly first-class sign writers practice marking 
out with rule, compass, and line every letter which they produce, insisting 
upon mechanical accuracy in "laying out" as the only correct means of 
developing stjde. Such workmen, unfortunately, were probably indifferent, 
in apprenticeship days, to the advantages to be derived from free hand 
drawing, and being strangers to them they find themselves greatl}' handi- 
capped thereby. 

The free-hand and rule-rivalling-eye mechanic goes to his space to be 
lettered and after a swift, accurate study of the limitations and contour of 






Modified Block Numerals. 

that space, as a basis for the letter construction, including style, height, 
thickness, etc., he snaps the necessary top and bottom lines and proceeds to 
rapidly, but lightly, sketch out his letters. Fairly marvelous examples of 
this manner of mechanics are to be encountered in sign and wagon establish- 
ments. Such men are rarely ever in search of a job. The job is mostly in 
sharp search of them. 

Such skill and facility in execution of lay outs is not gained in a day. 
An eminent vehicle letterer once told the writer that he "was glad to have 
acquired the 'knack' of accurate free hand and eye work after years of 
practice." At present there are boundless fields of originality awaiting the 
sign writer and vehicle letterer. Imitation of the styles of expert letterers 
may with the beginner lead up to nobler examples of the art — for has not 
the sage whispered that genius knows only the right of conquest ? — but to 
the apprentice, fired with the sacred spark of ambition, cop3dng will not long 
suffice. 

The acknowledged best examples of sign writing and wagon lettering 
should serve as the beginner's model, rather than the work of any single 
practitioner of the art. The fact that the work of every letterer has a certain, 



PBACTICAL CARRIA'^E AND WAGON PAiyTIXG. 



93 



positive individuality of style furnishes the best possible reason why the 
learner should strive to avoid copying continuously the various alphabets of 
any individual expert to the exclusion of all others. 

LAYING OUT, SPACING, OUTLINING, AND BALANCING 
of a job of wagon lettering are factors of chief concern. The artistic and 
really beautiful example of lettering is brought forth only when praiseworthy 
skill is exercised in executing the operations named. Individuality of work- 
manship is based upon the style of laying out. A workman practiced in 
handling a lettering or striping pencil can very soon master the difficulties 
of painting a letter after it is outlined. The job accurately and artistically 
laid out, even if lettered in a manner not strictly up to the standard, will far 
more effectively fulfill its mission as a work of art than will the one properly 




Ornamental, Alphabet No. 1. 

penciled but improperly designed. The ke}^ then, to fine wagon lettering 
may be embraced in the work of laying out. To present rules by which the 
workman may at all times and closely abide in preparing a contemplated 
design for letter painting would be impracticable because the laying out, 
with its attendant features, must conform to the size, form, and general 
condition of the surface. In laying out, the best exponents of the art are 
agreed that it is advisable to employ as few lines as possible. The fewer 
lines, the more grace, freedom, and easy poise of the letters.- At the begin- 
ning of his career the letterer will probably need the aid of four lines, two 
for the top limbs and two for the bottom limbs of the letters. As he gains in 
skill and experience the two inside lines maj' be dispensed with. Then with 
the ever present dividers in hand the space so lined out may be "touched off" 
until the necessary divisions to accommodate the letters desired in the line 



94 



PBACTICAL CAIIBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



are spaced. Generally speaking, all letters, except W, M, J, ,and I, have 
equal spaces, one square, for example, M and W require a bit more space, 
I and J a bit less. There is to be remarked a considerable variation in the 
space between letters, some of the letters being full in form and some open. 
In the use of L, F, J, A, V, W, T, Y, only half the space given to the 
other letters is allowable, and in the placing of V and 'L, less than half is 
permissible, one letter bfeing advanced well into the space allowed the other. 
The letter I is in some respects a difficult letter to space correctly. When it 
chances to be cast between two letters occupying full squares each it will 
require more than the usual space, otherwise, being a needle-like letter, it 
will be elbowed out of easy location. 





Ornamental, Alphabet No. 2. 

The vehicle letterer, daily practicing his art, will frequently find himself 
confronted with words or combinations of words to which rules of spacing, 
however carefully they maybe laid down, do not apply. In such cases hard 
and fast rules of spacing cannot be successfully observed. Spacing to suit 
individual requirements must then obtain. Here a letter may be moved 
from its nearest neighbor a little more than its ordinarily allotted space 
would permit; there a letter is placed closer to its neighbor than the rules 
usually allow. The position of several letters may be disturbed in order 
that the word or words may display a correctly spaced appearance. Vehicle 
letterers invariably devote one-half of a letter space to separate capital letters 
of names. This spacing furnishes the capitals with plenty of prominence 




PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 95 

and makes plain and distinct the whole name. Usually the half of a letter 
space is placed between words. This half, however, may vary somewhat as 
the size and general conformation of the surface may indicate. 

In outlining letters many of our best vehicle letterers advise using no 
inside lines, the extreme outer lines only being employed. This method of 
outlining precludes the possibility of becoming confused on account of a 
multiplicity of lines, the spacing may be more accurately judged, and 
enlarged proficiency in free hand work is attained. Especially in the first 
draft of a letter design is the use of the outside lines only to be commended. 

^ B e B E F 

H I J K LyviN 

o p Q H s T y 

VWX Y Z & $ 
I2 3456 7890 

Grecian Alphabet. 

The balance of a letter or a series of letters is that effect which gives legibility 
and artistic proportions to the design. A top-heavy appearance is a fatal 
defect in a letter. To properly balance a letter is to so proportion it that it 
will immediately give the effect of being able, if cut out of thick board, to 
stand upon its base solid, secure, and in no danger of toppling over. For a 
clearer illustration of the significance of balancing letters, invert some of the 
accompanying examples of X, S, Z, etc. The base of the letter S, if made 
tl-.e same size as the apex, would throw the letter sadly out of balance. In 
spacing and outlining a letter design, the matter of shading should be con- 
sidered, and a needed allowance made therefor if shading- is to be done. 



96 



PE ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AXB WAGON PAINTING. 



SHADING. 

Many sign writers contend that shading a letter is nothing more or less 
than making an artificial representation of a raised letter, and consequently 
requires a fine light shade upon the top and left side of the letter, and a dark 
one upon the bottom and right side. Formerly, vehicle letterers did hot 
admit the propriet}^ of this way of shading, insisting that the shades should 
be on the right side and bottom. Only in case of sunk-bottom vehicles were 
the shades cast on the top and right side. It was considered deplorably out 
out of form to throw a shade to the left of the letter. 

But the swift tide of up-to-date letter work has left its impress upon the 
style of shading in vogue, and it is now remarked as admissible to cast the 
shades at any desired angle and upon any desired side of the letters. Never- 
theless, it is the leading custom among vehicle letterers to cast the shading 
on the right side and at the bottom of the letters. Expert exponents of the 




art aver that indiscriminate shading of letters robs their work of its individ- 
ualit5^ 

Properly, the shade of a letter as it is generally understood may be 
defined as that letter's thickness or depth. However, that which is strictly 
and correctly the shade of a letter is the "cast shadow" and it belongs to the 
side opposite the thickness of the letter. The "cast shadow" usually 
consists of a thin wash or glazing of the ground color, and excepting its use 
upon light colored grounds, it is not extensively employed. The wagon 
letterer resorts generously to letter shading, using single, double, and treble 
shades, as the requirements of his business suggest. In this work, skill as a 
colorist of the first order is demanded, a large amount of shading being 
executed by the manipulation of glazing colors. In double or treble shading 
it should be remembered that the darkest shade invariably belongs nearest 
the letter. Moreover, the letter, and not the shade, should display the most 
prominent color. In respect to letters laid in gold, silver, or aluminum, it is 



PBACTICAL CARIilAGE AXJ) WAOOX PAINTING. 



91 



advisable to -make the shade touch the leaf. L,etters done in pigment are 
frequently given a "free shade" which consists in permitting a small space 
of the surface color to separate the letter and the shade. The ' 'close shade' ' 
describes the shade that is allowed to join the letter. A shade looks ungainly 
and ill proportioned if made wider than the bars of the letter, excepting, of 
course, the treatment of the bottom shades, which are often made a little 
heavier than the perpendicular ones. This heavier bottom shading is based 
upon the assumption that the sun casts a heavier shade to the bottom in pro- 
portion to the angle of light. While the shading is generally cast against the 
letter at an angle of forty-five degrees, it is necessarily inclined more nearly 
to a perpendicular when the bottom of the letter is more heavily shaded than 
the sides. Some alphabets do not admit of shading, and others require very 
little, as compared to still others. A portion of some letters in certain styles 




of alphabets would present a choked up and inharmonious appearance if 
tricked out in a .shade of uniform weight. Thus, B, K, G, N, S have body 
angles which do not admit of so heavy a shade as perpendicular or bottom 
letters. In shading it should be a paramount rule to closely study the tone 
of the ground, to the end that the most natural shadow be chosen, one that 
is in strict harmony with the colors of both the lettering and the ground- 
work. Harmonious and effective color schemes have greatly to do with fine 
results in the art of wagon lettering. 

Gold lettering on black and white grounds may be effectively shaded 
with almost any color but that of the yellow order. A well-known authorit}' 
advises the use of the richest and most permanent tones of red, green, blue, 
and umber shades in shading gold letters placed on colored grounds. Reds, 
especially the intense and most brilliant reds, are warm, advancing colors 



98 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



for shading gold letters. Imagine, if you please, a more strikingly hand- 
some combination than a gold letter shaded with red cast against a ground of 
some one of the fashionable greens. Or reverse the style, and put the gold 
letter upon a ground of carmine glazed over flamingo red, shading with 
green. Blue, as a shade, produces a cool, distant effect. 

Black letters may be usuall}- shaded with any of the primary or 
secondary colors. In shading it should be borne in mind that complementary 
colors cannot always be tastefully combined. As, for instance, yellow and 
orange would not look fetching to any extent when shaded with blue, 
although regarded as complementary. The learner should appl}!- himself 
studiously to the study of happy and harmonious color effects in the matter 

of shading. 

PUNCTUATION. 

A staid old axiom has it that ' 'art and education are twin sisters, ' ' but 
the examples of punctuation as seen in wagon lettering often met with 




suggest the inference that the vehicle letterer is not slow, at times, to offer & 
startling contradiction to the axiom. The sense of construction and meaning 
can be quickly and effectually destroyed in a piece of lettering by a bit of 
bad punctuation. The simple misplacing of a comma, period, or apostrophe, 
— about the only punctuation marks deemed necessary at present to bring 
out the full meaning and make symmetrical a job of vehicle lettering — often 
results in disfiguring an otherwise really meritorious piece of work. The 
late Mr. Geo. W. W. Houghton has defined the object of punctuation," to 
so divide written or printed sentences that the meaning may be made more 
visibly clear. ' ' 

In vehicle lettering as now practiced the more striking and illuminative 
words and phrases are set forth in separate lines, each line, as a rule, 
carrying a different size and a different style of letter. This system of 
vividly illuminating and emphasizing vehicle lettering has reduced the need 
of punctuation to the minimum; but it renders the necessity of a wise and 
judicious use of punctuation marks none the less imperative. In no way 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXl) WAGOX FAIXTIXG. 



99 



that we are aware of can the information which a hneof lettering is intended 
to convey be so clearly perverted as through the medium of a flagrant error 
in punctuation. A sweep of lettering done according to the most approved 
standard of letter form and construction, but improperly punctuated, is at 
best only a distorted and deformed example of workmanship. The adver- 
tising pages of the big magazines offer fine advantages for the accumulation 
of reliable "pointers" upon the accepted practice of modern newspaper and 
magazine punctuation. To such sources the reader is invited to go if he 
would profit by the examples set forth by acknowledged masters of the art 

of punctuation. 

ALPHABETS. 

The Roman alphabet is easily the most beautiful and engaging of all 
the alphabets used by the wagon letterer. It is an alphabet of impressively 
graceful lines, curves flowing easy rather than exact, with nothing about it 




to suggest a lack of freedom or easy repose. The Roman letter, as conceived 
by the modern school of American sign writers and letterers, is at once the 
most picturesque and the most difficult to execute of any style known. It is 
a letter of severe requirements, enforcing in its proper execution a very facile 
and skilled manipulation of all the aids at the command of the workman. 
Inferior quality of work cannot be concealed in the Roman letter. Every 
curve of its noble form must be brought out and fully rounded if the letter is 
to be what its name implies. Accompanying this chapter is a Roman 
alphabet, and while there are a number of styles dignified, under the title of 
Roman they are all formed on the same general principle. The Roman 
alphabet is deservedly held in high esteem by vehicle letterers and sign writers 
the country over. It is most commonly adapted to the needs of wagon 
lettering, especially. It is easily read and can be greatly extended, if neces- 
sar}^, without injury to its bold and legible characteristics. The distinctive 



100 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGOX PAINTING. 



features of the individual letters contained in the Roman alphabet are briefly 
summarized as follows: 

A has its cross bar drawn at two-fifths of its height. Properly it should 
be wider than the H or N. The center bar of B belongs above the center of 
the letter. C is not drawn in a perfect circle. Abrupt curves should be 
avoided and the exact lines of the dividers discarded. D requires care in 
execution, its large sweeping curve being a difficult one to control. E goes 
a bit wider than its height, with bar above center. F is frequently drawn a 
trifle narrower than K. Remarks made concerning C apply to G. Keep 
cross bar of H above the center. Its width should be about equal to iis 




height. I is very easy to make and needs no description. J is a little 
narrower than the other letters. K is entitled to about the same space as H. 
The cut shows where the angles of the letter meet. L and M occupy 
considerably more space than other letters. N requires the same space as H. 
O is a little wider than C. The necessity for this increased width will become 
immediately plain to one who will first make C and then undertake to 
confine O in the same circle. The proportion of P is shown in the alphabet. 
O, along with O, needs easy, sweeping curves to best display its form. 
Make the appendage clean cut and bold. It has been said that a wagon 
letterer's standard as an artist is determined by the quality of his Roman 



PRACTICAL CAEEIAGE ANB WAGOX PAINTING. 101 

R's. Be that as it may, R is rightfully regarded as a difficult letter to 
execute. The cross bar usually goes in at the center of the letter. The tail 
of the letter constitutes the difficult point to control. S is a handsome letter, 
withal a difficult one to execute properly. To ascertain the correctness of 
one's S, invert the letter as drawn. Inverted the letter will be top-heav}^ 
but it should not be built on awkward lines. T has the same height as 
width. It should not be narrowed beyond the proportion here indicated, as 
one often observes it in sign work. N and V may be passed without com- 
ment. W, practically composed of two V's, is distinguished as the widest 
letter of the alphabet. X occupies about the usual space and its upper part 
should be smaller than the nether. Y is best known as a wide letter and 
like the T, has a shape that tends to break the regularity of spacing and 
leads the workman oftentimes to ruin the appearance of the letter through 
the process of contraction. Z is ordinarily classed as one of the easy letters 
of the alphabet to make. 

The modified block alphabet herewith shown is executed b}^ many 
Eastern wagon letterers, and it may be said to be drawn upon pleasing and 
easy lines. In displaj^ lines the modified block presents a glowingly fine 
appearance, forcible, prominent, and plain enough for hirn who runs to 
read. 

The ornamental alphabets set forth in alphabets No. 1 and No. 2 require 
no extended comment. They may be varied somewhat to meet certain needs 
and necessities. The letters composing No. 2 have limbs projecting above 
and below the regulation lines, and therein lies the chief beauty. 

By the kind permission of Mr. Chas. B. Sherron, editor of Varnish, the 
writer is pleased to illustrate a Grecian alphabet of decidedly unique attrac- 
tions. Wagon letterers have come to regard this alphabet with much favor, 
and, if properly executed, it gives very striking effects. The embellishments 
admit of innumerable changes and modifications. In point of fact, the 
variations that are possible with this design are onl}^ limited by the talent of 
the workman. The letters may be shaded quite as handily as other styles. 
Done in gold against any dark ground they furnish beautiful and rich 
effects. 

Accompanying these alphabets are a few designs for business vehicle 
panels in which examples of present day lettering are reflected from variously 
ornamented grounds. From a study of them the apprentice may perhaps 
find a suggestion that will lead him to originate more pretentious examples. 
There are many unexplored fields of beauty in the domain of ornamental 
wagon lettering, bear in mind. 



CHAPTER XI. 

MONOGRAMS — ANTIQUITY OF THE MONOGRAM — HOW TO DESIGN AND 
PAINT THE MONOGRAM — TOOLS NEEDED— LEADING COLORS EM- 
PLOYED—SOME ENGAGING COMBINATIONS— ILLUSTRATIONS, ETC. 

THE designing and painting of monograms is an accomplishment which 
the carriage painter should zealously strive to acquire. Years ago 
the crest, coat-of-arms, and other elaborate forms of ornamentation 
accompanied the monogram in its mission as a panel decoration. Gradually, 
in response to the dictates of the vehicle-using public, and encouraged, no 
doubt, by the stern mandates of competition, the use of the lavishly 
wrought style of panel ornament has given way largely to the monogram. 
Despite the apparent tendency toward plain effects in the matter of pleasure 

vehicle ornamentation the fact remains 
unassailed that a well executed monogram 
cast upon the panels of a vehicle imparts a 
color effect, and breaks the monotony of a 
finish, to a very satisfying extent. As my 
lamented friend Manchester was won't to 
say: "That little patch of color warms up 
the entire job, relieving that sense of same- 
ness that one feels when contemplating a 
carriage. No matter how nicely it is fin- 
ished, there seems to be something lacking 
if the ornament is omitted. That little 
color spot is like an oasis in a desert — a 
resting place, as it were, for the eye." Most certain it is that the dull 
uniformity, the eye offending lack of variety, in the painting of a carriage 
panel is often relieved by the simple addition of a monogram. The monogram 
is not of recent origin. Away back in those alluring days of Greek heroes 
and Kg5'ptian divinities the monogram existed. Indeed, early in the fourth 
century, as ancient history informs us, monograms were used to identify the 
pomp of power. In France the monogram was early employed in the 
capacity of a signature and inscribed upon seals and coins. In point of 
fact, the use and purpose of the monogram was clearly established when the 
world was yet young. 

The word monogram is said to be derived from two modest little Greek 
words, mo7ioSy alone, only, oitidi gramma, letter. Authorities differ consider- 




PRACTICAL CABBIAGE AKl) WAGON FAmTING. 



103 




ably in defining the word monogram. A modern authority refers to it in 
this wise: "In the true monogram two of its letters, or all, for that matter, 

should have some portion in common." 
Again it is said to consist of ' 'characters or 
ciphers composed of two or more letters 
interwoven, being an abbreviation of a 
name." Still another authority contends 
that the monogram is "a device formed by 
the assemblage of two or more letters so as 
to form a single character." Probably the 
three definitions here quoted determine Jhe 
limits and significance of the monogram as 
we wish to know it today. If the mono- 
gram is formed of but two letters it is 
denominated a simple monogram. Com- 
posed of all the letters of a name it is classi- 
fied as a complete monogram. It is not the 
writer's purpose to inveigh against the 
elaborate and complicated monogram, which, 
in some respects, at least, partakes freely of 
the mystifying characteristics of an oriental newspaper advertisement, but 
he does wish to emphasize the value of a monogram devoted to the use of 
vehicular adornment made sufficiently plain and simple to be easily read by 
one not used to deciphering hieroglyphics. "Handsome is that handsome 
does," runs the quaint old axiom, and, generally speaking, the clean cut, 
unimcumbered, legible monogram, serves its office as a handsome ornament 
when it offers to the observer a tale 
soon told. 

The designing and painting of 
monograms constitutes an art mast- 
ered, save in exceptional instances, 
only after long continued study and 
practice. Some of our best monogram 
makers do not ascribe their success to 
talent, but, rather, to hard work and 
practice. Works on monograms fur- 
nish plenty of examples of the differ- 
ent styles (which consist, principally, 
of the Florentine, script, and block,) 
for the guidance of the beginner. 
With such examples before him the 
work of making monograms may be 
begun. Mr. W. A. Thompson, probably one of the most skillful monogram 
designers in the country, advises the student to "begin practice with a slate 




104 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE A^W WAGOX rAmTIlS'G. 



and pencil for a time at least, as the lines can be more readily erased than 
from paper." As some proficiency is gained the slate may be discarded in 
favor of the writing pad, pencil and eraser. The com- 
pass and dividers are not advised as aids to be con- 
stantly relied upon. The general practice should be to 
let these aids severely alone. Free-hand drawing 
produce^, as a rule, the most symmetrical and graceful 
monogram. Study of proportion and balance should 
early engage the thought of the learner. Curves on 
one side of a monogram, for instance, should be 
followed when possible by similar ones on the opposite 
side. Also, as a rule, the base should be a little 
sturdier than the apex. It would prove futile to attempt to append any set 
of rules to govern the designing of a monogram. The principle that would 
obtain in the laying out of one design would probably fail of being a principle 
at all in the drawing of the second one. This by virtue of the law of 
variation which rules in this as in all other arts. The letter delected from 




o. D. T. 



its true course, (its stand- 
considered,) either one 
as a matter of balance, 
swung in an opposite 
possible at all times to 
which admit of an ex- 
problem of balance and 
an easy solution. But 
not the case. Hence, 




ing alone not being here 
way or the other, should, 
be matched by a letter 
direction. If it were 
use only those letters 
quisite arrangement, the 
proportion would invite 
such, unfortunately, is 
the charm and beauty of 



the monogram must necessarily be governed at times by the individual 
letters of which it is composed instead of by their arrangement e?i masse. 
The perfectly symmetrical monogram is not alwa5's possible under the 
masterful touch of the most dashing originator of monogram architecture. 
In designing a monogram for a carriage the size and formation of the 
panel upon which the ornament is intended to be 
used must be reckoned with. Any other details of 
general construction, as applied to the vehicle, 
require consideration in order that the design may 
have an especial adaptation to its surroundings. 
The style of the design ought, properly, to be in 
strict harmony with the style of the vehicle, just as 
in color the design should harmonize with the colors 
employed in painting the carriage. 

In preparing the design for a surface two methods 
are given for the transference of the design from the 
paper to the surface. The design being draWn on the paper, and all inter- 
lacings clearly denoted by extra emphasized black lines, chalk or whiting is 




M. W. & CO. 



PRACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



105 




L. J. F. 



rubbed on the back of the paper, after which it is placed upon the panel and 
held carefully in position while the lines of the design are gone over with a 
hard pencil. By the second method the design, after 
being drawn, is perforated along its lines with a needle. 
It is then laid upon the panel and with a pounce of 
whiting, in case of a dark ground, and charcoal, in 
case of a light one, the small dots outlining the design 
are left upon the surface. 

Occasionally the workman will wish to paint the 
monogram upon paper in such a way that it can be 
used as a transfer ornament. This plan is recom- 
mended when monograms are called for upon vehicles so constantly used 
that they cannot be taken from service long enough to admit of painting the 
monograms in the usual way. Take first grade lithograph paper and upon 
one side apply successive coatings of mucilage until a firm gloss is estab- 
lished. Then outline and paint the monogram upon the gloss side of the 
paper, using colors and effects that would be appropriate if the painting were 
being executed upon the panel direct. The unused portion of the paper is 
now cut off and moistened and the monogram, face 

down, is pressed solidly >1 /fl /yV^ ^po^ it and maintained 

in that position until MnM/Md^ ^^^' '^^^ monogram is 

now, both back and face, M^Bm/Q/M perfectly sealed between 

the mucilage clad paper. /'ZXw Ww^M^^ Tho. paper at the back of 

the ornament is next ( f f hS umnI f^ dampened little by little 

until it is sufficiently \/~y^M ^JP) M^y saturated to permit being 

lifted easily. This pro- cess completes and fin- 

ishes the shop prepared ' ' ' transfer monogram, and 

if deftly prepared it should render satisfactory results. 

To perform good work in painting monograms due attention must be 
given the tools. These should consist of mahl stick, palette, palette cups, a 
small palette knife, pounce bags, small bottles containing japan, turpentine, 
etc. , and a complete assortment of pencils. The pencils should be red sable 
hair, set in metal, and outfitted with cedar handles. The hair had best not 
exceed ^ inch in length, and in size the 
pencils may run from knitting-needle bulk to 
what pencil makers call No. 2. As a rule, a 
pencil somewhat smaller than the No. 1 pencil 
of commerce will be needed. In the way of 
pigments the workman should provide himself 
with an array of the best tube colors. A finely 
prepared color is a great aid to the workman — 
an aid, let me say, too rarely appreciated. The most popular monogram 
colors are various shades of greens, and reds having close relationship to 




c. H. B. 



106 



PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 




vermilion and carmine. In addition, such pigments as silver or flake white, 
drop black, ultramarine blue, verdigris, burnt umber, burnt sienna, orange 
chrome, Indian red, chrome yellow and Tuscan red 
are used. 

The initial of the surname, invariably to be made 
more prominent than the letters of the Christian name, 
will submit to strong color effects without offending 
the visual sense. Perhaps it may be timely here to 
say that, after recognizing the fact that the striping of 
the running parts rigidly govern the color or colors of 
the monogram, there are no arbitrary laws to restrict 
the color schemes employed. In this as in other branches of ornamental 
painting the harmony by analogy and the harmony by contrast are 
recognized and adhered to. The monogram painted in relief is an illustration 
of harmony by analogy. Such a monogram represents the employment of a 
single color and its blended tints and shades. Harmony by contrast consists 
of painting each letter of the monogram a different, but complementary, 
color. The relief monogram is best done by first laying the design in a 



o. D. T. 



medium shade of the 
shades proper of the mono- 
dark shades of the color, 
tints of the color. The 
shading is, in the words of 
under parts of the letter or 
opposite side on which the 
the overlapped letter would 




G. w. B. 



selected color. Then the 
gram are cast in with the 
and the light ones with 
vital principle involved in 
an authority, "to shade the 
object lapping it and the 
light falls — the shade of 
naturally fall on the under- 



lapped letter, giving the former a raised appearance." 

It has been said that the striping should govern the color or colors of 
the monogram, as for example: If the gear be striped with carmine the 
predominating color of the monogram should be carmine; if with orange, 
then orange; if with green, then green, etc. Granting this, it may also be 
conceded that the style and general conformation of the monogram should 
in no small degree compel color effects especially adapted to it. The 
symmetrical monogram calls for a precisely balanced color 
scheme, while the clumsy and uncouth one, made so from 
necessity — and what an inexorable task-master necessity is ! 
— needs a color adjustment that seeks to balance the light 
parts with the heavy ones, and the heavy with the light. 

Gold and aluminum have of late been largely used in 
connection with colors and no departure from the correct 
color principles has thus far been remarked, vehicle users 
being especially delighted, as well they may "be, with the innovation. A 
practice that has seemed to please the public immensely permits laying the 




A. M. N. 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 



107 



entire monogram with gold or aluminum, as the painter may elect, and then 
glazing the first letter, say, with ultramarine blue, the next with verdigris, 
and still the next with carmine. 

If done in gold or aluminum apply a coat of rubbing 
varnish over the leaf before shading and washing with 
the transparent colors. Thus will the varnish check the 
subsequent coatings from striking in and tarnishing the 
brilliancy of the leaf. In the case of gold being used, 
follow the varnish with shadings of asphaltum diluted 
with varnish. The dark shades may be produced by 
recoating with the asphaltum until the desired shade is 
reached. Once the asphaltum is quite dry , proceed to coat those parts of the 
monogram desired to be in colors with such glazing colors as carmine, ultra- 
marine, or cobalt blue, verdigris, etc. The shades of asphaltum are 
reflected through these transparent colors to the measure of a beautiful 
appearance, and the sum total of effects thus produced are particularly rich 
and brilliant. The letters of a monogram painted vermilion glazed with 




L. V. R. 



carmine, and the carmine 
phaltum and high lighted 
a splendid effect. 
monogram the workman 
mine and vermilion mixtures 
effects. In fact, all lean 
best when done in some of 
ular. A very fetching mono- 
by laying the design in ver- 
part of it with carmine. Or, 
for the color, lay the design 




G. P. L. 



then being shaded with as- 
with pale canary color afford 
In executing the script 
will agree with us that car- 
produce the finest color 
bodied letters show at their 
the gorgeous reds now pop- 
gram, as to color, is made 
milion and then glazing 
if the striping suggests green 
in a shade of green to har- 



monize nicely with the striping, and glaze a portion of it with verdigris. 
Heavy bodied letters such as are combined in some of the monograms 
accompanying this chapter show admirably with the upper halves done in 
vermilion and the nether parts put in Indian red, or, preferably, flamingo 
red. The vermilion should be given a light wash of carmine, and the letters 
then outlined with deep orange. In some of the large cities where the 
trappings and the suits of fashion are ever in the foreground 
one may see the monogram having one of its letters tricked 
out in all the finery of a graded shade. The manner of 
shading consists of beginning at the top of the letter with 
the palest shade of a certain color, and then gradually deep- 
ening the shade as the painting descends until, when the 
base of the letter is reached, the very deepest and darkest 
shade of the color is developed. As for example, the strip- ^- ^• 

ing indicates the employment of green as one of the prominent colors in the 
monogram. Begin at the top of the letter with the very palest shade of green 




108 PRACTICAL CARTtlAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

then continuing with the various gradations down to the deepest shade. A 
graded shade is most successfully accomplished with color containing a 
binder of raw linseed oil to give the pigment a free working property. A 
short stiff pencil, lightly, very lightly, tipped with color works most effec- 
tively in blending each shade into the next. Reds and blues respond 
splendidly to the attractions of the graded shade. 

The high lights are justly important features of a monogram. Many 
monogramists contend that a high light is almost invariably improved by 
the addition of a bit of the color of the letter being executed. As, for 
instance, the letter is painted medium shade of green, and the high light 
goes white. To the white add a dash of the green, and note the restful, 
pleasing effect secured thereby. 






C. H. B. T. B. L. G. 

High lighting, however, as it applies to nearly all styles of monograms 
is not suited to the delicate features of the script monogram. The high 
lighting of the script ornament should consist in merely flicking those parts 
needing a relief touch with a color that will denote a slant of light from 
above. 

The provision that permits the striping colors used upon a vehicle to 
govern, with but few exceptions, the predominating color or colors of the 
monogram renders a presentation of the color scheme adapted to the accom- 
panying designs superfluous. Therefore, it only remains for the writer to 
advise his readers to learn how to design and paint monograms. It is a 
buoyant and fascinating art. 



CHAPTER XII. 

PAINTING THE BUSINESS \/VAGON: CONSIDERED AS A WORK OF ART 
AND AS AN ADVERTISING MEDIUM— VARIOUS PRACTICAL PROCESSES 
GIVEN— POPULAR COLOR COMBINATIONS EMPLOYED — PAINTING 
CANVAS TOPS, ETC. 

ONI^Y a prophet of much temerity would attempt to bound the 
possibilities of business wagon painting. It may be allowable to 
define it as a limitless art, resourceful, restive, responsive to an 
admirable degree to the ever-varying side-lights of technical skill. All that 
art can be anywhere the broad surface of the modern business vehicle 
invitingly offers to displa3^ The time when the main requirement of a busi- 
ness wagon was symmetry and strength of structure has gone by. The 
merchant, the man of business, has found it to possess a value beyond its 
mere capacity as a carrier of merchandise. Its worth as an advertising 
medium, as an agency through which business stability and enterprise may 
be widely heralded, has been fully learned. Thus the evolution of the 
present elaborately painted and decorated business wagon has come about. 
Is it not stating the truth too strongly to say that the average business man 
is now quite as exacting and peremptory about the style and appearance of 
his business wagon as he is of his much prized pleasure vehicle. He aims 
to have his painter achieve a distinct individuality in the painting of his (the 
business man's) vehicles, so that so-and-so's delivery wagons are readily dis- 
tinguished from all others met with along the highvv^ays and by-ways. To 
this end he not only seeks to have his vehicles so painted and decorated that 
unsurpassed advertising effects are commanded, but he also makes careful 
selection of a combination of colors, and strictly adheres to that combination 
throughout the list of his business vehicle equipment. This manifestation 
of exclusiveness on the part of business men has created a spirit of rivalry 
that has greatly redounded to the painter's benefit in that more beautiful 
and dashing color effects are now in vastly greater demand than formerly. 

And the gratifying aspect of the case is that these original and artistic 
styles of painting the business vehicle bid fair to continue in popularity. It 
furnishes the wagon painter, and most especially the apprentice in the wagon 
paint shop, an incentive to excel in this branch of painting. 

The reader may here note, perhaps, an inclination to separate wagon 
painting, which we have in preceding chapters treated as an inclusive feature 
of vehicle painting in its broad interpretation, from other branches of the 



110 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

painting art. Necessarily, in the small provincial jobbing paint shop it is all 
grist that comes to the hopper; consequently carriage and wagon painting 
are judiciously included under one head. In the city establishment, how- 
ever, an abrupt division is made, and we find business wagon painting 
practiced as a specialty — reduced to a fine art. Many argumentative dis- 
cussions have been conducted by specialists in the two branches to prove the 
superior skill required in one branch as against the other, and a wide diver- 
sity of opinion remains prevalent as to which side has the best of the 
controversy. 

Certain it is, at any rate, that the exactions of fine wagon painting are 
at present very pronounced. Granting that elegant general effects take 
precedence over all other features of wagon painting, the fact remains that 
the quality of the surface must be carefully looked after. It is seldom need- 
ful to obtain as fine and satiny a surface as is required on the panel of the 
jaunty brougham or the luxurious landau, the color scheme employed, united 
with dignified and artistic ornamentation, being depended upon as the irre- 
sistable attraction. However, this statement is not intended to belittle the 
importance of the surfacing system. Upon the finest class of business wagons 
it is a common experience to observe surfaces which in point of smoothness 
and general excellence are second only to those observable upon heavy 
pleasure carriages of the finest class. 

The wagon painter is confronted by many difficulties concerning which 
the carriage painter pure and simple, knows little. He must know well how 
to build beautiful and durable surfaces. He should be a first-class colorist, 
understanding all the features of color mixing and fully conversant with 
the laws of harmony and contrast. He will likewise find it necessary to be 
an unexcelled master of the varnish brush, a skilled striper, wagon letterer, 
and decorative painter of established ability. The chief disadvantage under 
which the wagon painter labors is presented to him through the agency of 
the many lead-weighted colors which he is usually compelled to employ. 
Many of the light colors extensively used in wagon painting at this time 
contain keg lead, or lead of another form, as the main ingredient. In doing 
jobs with light colors containing much lead, roughstuffis not generally used, 
the lead medium being relied upon to furnish a sufficiently smooth, compact, 
and close-textured surface; and naturally, therefore, this surface is freely 
flexible and elastic. Amid the stress and strife of competition and swift 
processes, these coats are often crowded on so fast that reliable drying is 
not assured, and then to lend additional uncertainty to the outcome of the 
work, rather quick and fairly unelastic varnish coats are employed, so that 
at the completion of the work a thread of weakness gleams through the 
whole paint and varnish structure. Surface building fallacies of this nature 
the wagon painter is forced to contend with, and his ability to surmount 
them is repeatedly shackled by rigid contrary decisions coming from the 
business office. By this token, then, it is plain beyond the n^ed of further 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. Ill 

demonstration, that wagon painting is an art that bespeaks for its suc- 
cessful practice technical knowledge and skill of a high order. Its varied 
phases, none of which are uninteresting and most of which are really fascin- 
ating, invite study, and the cultivation of talents, both artistic and mechan- 
icalj not required in any other recognized branch of painting. Probably the 

PAINTING OF A FULL-PANELED TOP BUSINESS WAGON 

offers more difficulties than any other style of wagon. The workman first 
proceeds to clean off all the grease smears, and then takes full care to get 
the job thoroughly sandpapered. Then prime job throughout, running 
parts and body inside and out, top, bottom, etc. If the job is to be painted 
in dark colors use the priming formula No. 1, given in Chapter III. of this 
series, and if light colors are desired prime with white (keg) lead thinned to 
working consistency with raw linseed oil, tempered as to drying with a tea- 
spoonful of japan to each pint of the primer. If no time limit intervenes omit 
the japan. The running parts, in due time, are next given careful sandpaper- 
ing, and then rub lead, as fully detailed in Chapter III., is applied. The body 
receives sandpapering and a lead coat adapted to the final color, mixed, if 
the job is to go roughstuffed, with ^ oil to ^ turpentine, half and half 
Apply to inside as well as outside of body and top, then when these applied 
mixtures are dry, putty, using as mixture ingredients dry white lead, 3 parts; 
keg lead, 1 part; and rubbing varnish and japan, equal parts. 

For the running parts, if to be painted in light colors, use the next coat 
of pigment mixed to a brushing consistency with a trifle less than ^ oil 
and a corresponding increase over S/^ turpentine. Thus gradually reduce 
the percentage of oil as the final color is approached. In case dark colors 
are to prevail, apply over the red lead a coat of lead pigment carrying a firm 
binder of oil, say one-sixteenth. 

Upon the body, if it is to be painted in dark colors, next apply four 
coats of roughstuff, choosing from among the formulas given in Chapter III. 
one suited to the time allowance to be reckoned with. If light colors are to 
be used, and stuff coats tabooed, all the open, coarse-grained sweeps of the 
surface require an application of knifing lead (again refer to Chapter III.) put 
on with a bristle brush and then pressed into the minute wood orifices with 
a broad blade putty knife. Then in the next coat of pigment, colored 
fittingly to meet the final color, reduce the oil to the proportion of one-fourth 
oil to three-fourths turpentine. In the next coat which will have practically 
a full percentage of the desired color the quantity of oil used, as compared 
to that contained in the preceding coat, should be cut in twain. The next 
reduction should bring the pigment down to possessing simply a good binder 
of oil. Then, in easy procession, follow the final color coat, color-and- 
varnish, if the system permits it, clear rubbing, and finishing. 

On large top paneled jobs, however, when strictly high class results are 
desired, it will be quite necessary, regardless of the colors employed, to 



112 PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 

employ roughstufFas the body surfacing agent. The surface is brought up 
to the roughstuff stage as above advised, and then, in case of a white job, 
resort is had to the white roughstuff, formulas for mixing which will be 
found in Chapter V. of this work. The colors used over the stuff coats are 
either japan ground or washed with benzine to free them as much as possi- 
ble of the oil carried. 

THE CHEAPER CLASS WAGON 

is painted by various processes in all of which the several knifing-in pigments 
are esteemed factors. A moderate cost method affording very neat surface 
results upon small paneled bodies, ribbed ones, etc., is executed by first giving 
the body a coat of some P. W. F., the filler being applied freely and at the 
proper time removed and the surface dried and cleaned up nicely with clean 
rags. The chamfers on ribbed bodies are gone over with the filler. The day 
following, the surface is given an application of knifing-in lead, the chamfers 
getting the same treatment as the flat surface. This knifing-in lead receives a 
very clean and smooth knifing, the labor of sandpapering being thus reduced 
to the minimum. This coat having dried, the nail holes and other indenta- 
tions are next puttied. Sandpapering, first with No. % paper, lastly with No. 
0, follows. This is made to suffice for a base to color upon, if a light color is 
desired. If a dark color is wished, a coat of lead, colored to a full slate color 
and mixed to dry "dead" or gloss free, is put on with a camel' s-hair brush. 
This effectually dresses over and obliterates surf ace irregularities which might 
command attention upon dark surfaces, whereas upon light colored ones, 
built with a strong percentage of lead, they would pass unheeded. 

The running parts get a primer consisting of lead, 2 parts; j'ellow ochre, 
1 part; floated in raw linseed oil. The outer or more exposed parts are next 
draw-puttied with the regulation knifing lead, this to be followed. in due 
course with regular carriage putty, being smoothly placed in nail holes and 
other cavities. Sandpapering next ensues and this, in turn, is followed with 
a gloss-lacking lead coat in which the final color is well represented. 

Perhaps a still cheaper system, as practiced in a factory shop, may be 
wanted. If so, prime job throughout, body and gear, with a pigment strongly 
colored with the color to be used in painting the vehicle. This primer, for 
its liquid ingredients, should have raw linseed oil, %; turpentine, }(; japan, 
1 teaspoonful to each quart of the mixture. Stand the work aside in a warm 
room for at least 48 hours. Then thoroughly sandpaper with No. 1 paper, 
after which putty holes, etc. Now take the body surface and give it a coat of 
knifing lead made of dry white lead, ^; keg lead, ^; finely ground rough- 
stuff filler, }i; rubbing varnish, ^; japan, %; turpentine, %; color this lead 
to meet final color. Exercise great care in cleaning off all surplus lead so 
that a very light polish with No. yi sandpaper will suffice to insure adequate 
surface smoothness. This knifing lead will require thirty-six hours in which 
to dry reliably. Then reduce the consistency of quick rubbing varnish some- 

/ 



PBACTICAL CABRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 113 

what with turpentine, and apply a coat to the surface. With clean linen 
cloths wipe off the surface immediately. This varnish coat serves to act as 
a stopper and sealer-up of the knifing lead and putty, in addition to holding 
forth the subsequent color and varnish coats becomingly. One day after 
putting on this varnish coat rub the surface lightly with No. sandpaper to 
flick off dirt atoms, etc., dust carefully, and lay the first coat of color, a 
strong binder of varnish being used in both the first and second coats of color. 
From this out, color, ornament, and finish in the usual way. 

The running parts are draw- puttied on the priming coat, puttied, sand- 
papered in good shape, colored, and from thence out carried rapidly to a 
finish. This method affords a pretty acceptable finish, especially if tricked 
out with a neat turn of ornamentation and a fine show of varnish. 

Again the practice is observed in some establishments of painting the 
running parts as just described and doing the body as follows: After prim- 
ing as usual, a coat of roughstuff mixed of lead and filler, equal parts by 
weight, and rubbing varnish and japan, equal parts, thinning to an easy 
brushing consistency with turpentine, is applied. After giving this coat 
twenty-four hours to dry, sandpaper with No. % paper to clear off lumpy 
substances, etc. Clean off surface carefully and draw-putty with a mixture 
composed of dry white lead, ^ ; keg lead 1^; liquids, rubbing varnish fi; 
japan, ^. This coat can be worked over in ten hours if necessary. Then 
apply two coats of roughstuff mixed as above suggested, the two coats being 
applied in one day if the limitations of time so demand. If it is wished to 
avoid the use of a guide coat, and at the same time enjoy whatever advan- 
tages are afforded by such a coat, give the last coat of roughstuff a strong 
dash of yellow ochre. 

PAINTING HEAVY TRUCKS AND FARM WAGONS. 

At present this class of vehicles is painted in a way differing consider- 
ably from that practiced formerly. Then durability was the chiefly consid- 
ered virtue. Now that fickle and flighty feature of painting is an attainment 
no more earnestly worked for than is a high degree of excellence in color 
effects. 

For trucks, while a wide range of colors are popular, radiant reds and 
yellows are apparently in the greatest favor. The wheels of such vehicles 
are best given a coat of raw linseed oil before the tires are set. The remain- 
ing running parts and the body parts are likewise coated with oil before the 
irons are fitted, whenever it is possible so to do. It is then easier to clean 
off grease daubs and finger marks left by the athletic blacksmith and his coy 
young assistant. Moreover, there is a saving of time gained by this method. 
The next coat should be a half-oil, half- turpentine lead coat tinted or shaded 
stoutly with the color to be used in painting the vehicle, unless the color is 
to be a yellow, in which case a pure white will be an entirely correct ground. 
If a better job is desired apply an extra coat of lead and an additional coat of 
rubbing varnish. Beautiful canary yellows are now seen on a great number 



114 TBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

of city truck running parts. These yellows can be purchased of the manu- 
facturers ready for use, barring a simple thinning down with turps and the 
addition of a little varnish for a binder. Upon the first coat of lead, puttying 
should occur. If red or some equally positive color is to be used, color putty 
accordingly. If yellow, let the putty go white. Sandpaper and smooth 
surface down finely upon the first, and, if used, the second coat of lead. In 
using light colors, the mechanic will find it needful to keep clean hands, as 
the slightest smear makes a disfigurement not easily remedied. For first- 
class, solid jobs of canary or other delicate yellow, two coats of the flat color, 
and one coat of color-and-varnish will quite surely be required. The varnish 
coats when used clear should be very pale, in fact, colorless. Happily, it is 
now a comparatively easy matter to obtain varnishes specially adapted to 
light, sensitive yellow and white surfaces. 

Many of my readers located in the provincial jobbing paint shop will 
have more or less of farm wagon painting to do. As a possible means of 
aiding them somewhat in getting the job ready for the color stage of the 
process, it may be said that when the job arrives at the paint shop, the first 
and most important thing is to prepare the surface for the first coat of oil and 
pigment. When possible it is advisable, as in case of heavy trucks, to coat 
the job, prior to fitting the irons with raw linseed oil. If anything, the aver- 
age country blacksmith is given to a more lavish surface adornment of soot 
smears, valve oil chromos, and scorched quarter-sections than his city brother 
of hammer and tongs. Such surface defacements are all violent enemies of 
durability. Their sleek and clean removal is therefore imperative. To 
banish the oil and grease and soot smears, saturate a cloth in benzine and 
lightly wash the surface. This fluid will loosen and quickly remove, with 
the aid of a clean cloth for a final drying up, all the greasy substances. The 
scorched patches require a very thorough cleaning out, a piece of glass nicelj- 
answering, usually, for slicking off the carved wood. When the parts are 
freed from the burnt particles, touch them lightly with raw linseed oil, wipe 
dry with a bit of cloth, subsequently touching the places with shellac. The 
priming coat, or first pigment coat, rather, should be controlled by whatever 
color the job is to be painted. Putty on this coat. Then a lead coat still more 
heavily fortified with the final color is in order. A coat of color-and-varnish 
should suffice for a suitable base to stripe and finish upon, save in case an 
extra color coat and an extra varnish coat will be needed. 

Farm wagon bodies may get priming, a coat of knifing lead, a very 
smooth sandpapering on this coat, then a coat of color, one of color-and- 
varnish, then finishing varnish. If a little better surface is wished, a coat of 
clear rubbing varnish, surfaced closely, will give the desired result. Dark 
rich browns for the bodies harmonize effectively with almost any of the 
popular yellows for running parts. Indian red, five parts; Prussian blue, one 
part; with a dash of yellow to tone the mixture, give a beautiful brown. 
Chocolate, maroon, and wine color, also furnish strikingly handsome results 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 115 

for farm wagon bodies, when shown over running parts attired in gay coats 
of yellow. 

COLORS FOR BUSINESS WAGONS. 

As already suggested, a wide variety of colors of striking brilliancy are 
being used in painting business wagons. Perhaps the prevailing colors may 
be referred to as the various shades of yellow, reds, and greens. Chocolates, 
maroons, browns, and rich shades of blue are also extensively employed. 
Many light delivery wagons are painted solidly throughout, body and run- 
ning parts, with some one of the beautiful shades of canary yellow. The 
lettering and ornamental work upon the body may be done in aluminum 
leaf, the shadings and striping being placed in green or blue. A full-paneled 
top business wagon may be painted iti this way and the color effects will be 
handsome. The main body panel, lower and front panel, rich wine color; 
center panel, moldings and other spaces, medium carmine; inside edge of 
moldings go black, striping white. lyCtter in gold and shade in blue, light 
and dark. Running parts, carmine; striped }( inch black line, and fine line 
of white. Or the body panels may be done in deep ultramarine blue, mold- 
ings black, with letters in gold and ornaments and striping in gold and white. 
Running parts, light ultramarine blue striped two round lines of white, five- 
sixteenths of an inch apart. Again the main panel of body may go sage 
green or a fine cream yellow. If sage green, paint lower panels merrimac 
green; running parts still lighter shade of green. Lettering done in fine gold 
outline, striping and ornamenting done in gold. In case main panel is done 
in cream yellow, throw lower panels in carmine. lyCtter in gold. Running 
parts go a lighter tint of cream, and stripe black to correspond with black 
moldings on body. The fine line should be carmine. If desired, paint body 
and running parts carmine, letter in gold or aluminum, and stripe with 
vermilion. Moldings on body, black. Another combination shows the 
upper panel black, lower panels and running parts, cherr}^ red; or upper 
panel black, lower panels amber brown, or deep green, with belt panel olive 
green; running parts, a trifle lighter green. The upper and lower body 
panel, in case of a three-panel job, may go Indian red, center panel white; 
running parts Indian or Tuscan red. I^etters and striping done in gold and 
white. 

A popular .style of painting the ribbed body wagon is to paint body 
panels dark, rich green; chambers, black; running parts, vermilion. Panels 
of body striped primrose or orange yellow; running parts, black. 

However, to mention in detail a very small part of the charming color 
schemes which are sought and displayed in painting the modern business 
vehicle would reach beyond the alloted limit of this chapter. Suffice it to 
say that the painter has a richly blossoming and variegated field of colors 
from which to select those combinations sanctioned by the esteemed and 
appropriate standard of the colorist's art. 



116 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAOON PAINTING. 

PAINTING CANVAS AND CLOTH TOPS. 

Formula No. i. — Use of white vitriol one-quarter lb. in three quarts of 
soft water, adding whiting until a good spreading consistency is reached. 
Prime outside of top and curtains. This leaves the material nicely flexible 
and coats the texture up so dense and full that a couple of coats of paint are 
saved. Then with an elastic paint coat and finish in the usual way. 

Formula No. 2. — Coat the canvas, barring curtains, with rye flour paste, 
inside and out. Permit this paste to dry thoroughly. With No. yi sand- 
paper polish cloth lightly to knock off nibs, etc. Then coat with white lead 
paint mixed with one-third raw linseed oil and two-thirds coach japan, the 
mixture cut a little with turpentine. Next coat reduce the oil to a trifle less 
than one-quarter oil to one-half japan, one-quarter rubbing varnish, the 
remainder, turpentine. Next give coat white color-and- varnish. Rub this 
coat lightly with water and pumice stone (pulverized), letter, ornament, and 
finish with a durable finishing varnish. 

Formula No. j. — Size with hot glue water, using two coats twenty-four 
hours apart. Then apply coat of keg white lead mixed two-thirds raw lin- 
seed oil, the remaining one-third being japan and turpentine, equal parts. 
After five days apply coat of lead containing three-eighths oil, two-eighths 
japan, three-eighths turpentine. Then apply white color-and-varnish. Rub 
lightly, letter, and finish. This is not adopted to a limited time allowance. 

Formula No. ^. — Sponge with water top and side panels or curtains; 
permit to partly dry and then coat with lead and oil coloring strongly in the 
direction the final color is to be. Reduce the quantity of oil in the next coat, 
and in lettering use enough oil in the colors employed to give the requisite 
elasticity. 

To paint on enameled drill, mix the pigment with raw linseed oil and 
gold size japan, equal parts, and thin to the proper consistency with turpen- 
tine. In judging the quantity of oil used, a close determination of the 
percentage of oil contained in the lead should be made, otherwise an exces- 
sive quantity of oil is apt to be used. 

The wagon painter frequentlj^ has to letter on canvas, duck, or some 
other material of similar texture not dressed in the raiment of paint. To do 
this successfully various expedients are resorted to. Some workmen prac- 
tice moistening the cloth with water and then putting on the letters in paint 
having plenty of oil in it. Others draw the cloth tight and firm and size it 
with a solution of starch and water. Proportions, ^ water; ^ starch. Allow 
this size to dry considerably before beginning to letter. Mix the lettering 
pigment to a paste form in elastic rubbing varnish and thin with turpentine. 
Still others make a size of cooked starch and glue water, and sponge the 
parts that are to be lettered. After the letters have been placed, if the cloth 
should prove to be stiff and inelastic, sponge with moderately warm water, 
in this way abstracting the surplus size. 

/ ■ 



CHAPTER XIII. 

VEHICLE REPAINTING: HOW THE VARIOUS CLASSES OF WORK ARE 

DONE— MATCHING COLORS— BURNING OFF PAINT— MATERIALS USED 

IN PAINTING— TREATMENT OF TOPS AND DASHES— WASHING FIN- 
ISHED WORK— SCHEDULE OF PRICES, ETC. 

THK re-varnishing, re-painting, etc., of vehicles constitutes an 
important source of revenue for the carriage and wagon painter. 
Many first-class paint shops connected with high grade carriage 
manufacturing establishments do a heavy business in re-painting vehicles. 
The writer has in mind a firm of carriage builders located not far from the 
office of The Western Painter, which employs a force of from sixty to 
eighty painters. In addition to painting and finishing the manufactured 
output of the establishment, consisting, it may be said, of anything in the 
carriage line from a tiny road buggy to a dashing four-in-hand coach, the 
force is yearly credited with fi-om $30,000 to $40,000 worth of re-painting, 
etc. From this it will be assumed that vehicle repainting, rightly directed, 
affords substantial profits. Were it otherwise the firm in question would not 
make it a part of their business. 

TOUCH-UP-AND-VARNISH. 

The touch-up-and-varnish job is supposed to reach the paint shop 
showing but few evidences of grim-visaged service. The fact that it doesn't 
uniformly do so furnishes the painter with about as much difficulty in satis- 
factorily handling this class of work as he encounters in doing those classes 
which have a more troublesome look to them. 

The best profits to be gleaned from this class of work are realized when 
the room space will admit of locating the job in a position where it can be 
handily worked at without much unhanging, and where plenty of light may 
be secured. A simple removal of the shafts, wheels, and, if necessary, top, 
together with such interior furnishings as carpet, cushion storm apron, etc., 
will, in a majority of cases, suffice to clear the way for active work upon the 
job, provided sufficient room space is at command. The unhanging of some 
of these "touch ups" is sometimes an expensive item, especially when rusty 
bolts are to be taken out and replaced. Therefore, the least possible 
unhanging should be practiced. Once the necessary parts are removed, pro- 
ceed to clean off the grease smears, wiping axle arms bright, and looking 
well to the fifth wheel. Benzine is a good, quick liquid agent for loosening 



118 PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

grease, etc. If top is left upon the job (and it should be in most cases, when 

possible), dust out the lining carefully, clean outside well, then clean out 

the body interior, after which give the outside body surface a light pumice 

flour and water rub as the most effective means of ridding it of possible 

greasy patches, dirt nibs, etc. A close, hard rubbing should be avoided, as 

upon a majority of surfaces it is prone to disclose checks and fissures, minute 

or otherwise, which a single coat of varnish will only serve to bring out more 

clearly, rather than to conceal. The body rubbed and washed thoroughly, 

the running parts are given a careful rinsing and drying off" with the chamois 

skin. 

TOUCHING UP. 

Matching colors preparatory to touching up is probably the most diffi- 
cult process related to this class of work. To match colors successfully one 
must have a correct eye for colors. To distinguish between closely related 
tints, shades, hues, and tones, in an accurate and conclusive way, brings 
into play talents, or a gift — call it what you please — not vouchsafed to the 
average mortal. This is one important feature of the trade that practice 
does not make perfect. The colorist does not acquire his skill by practice 
merely. 

If the fading of colors tended in one general way and to something like 
a uniform degree, the successful matching of colors might be controlled in 
due time by all painters interested in experimental work. Chemistry and 
other scientific aids to color-making have wrought mysterious and, to the 
practical man, undemonstrable factors in carriage colors. As a result, colors 
fade in all the varying degrees imaginable, and are subject to so many influ- 
ences that their control, as a rule, is quite beyond the skill and practical 
knowledge of the painter. 

Many of the colors, notably the radiant reds lately so fashionable, are 
naturally so fugitive that unless extraordinary care is exercised in preparing 
the groundwork, they quickly fade; and, their original identity once lost, it 
is a feat beyond the ability of the most masterful colorist or color matcher to 
restore. To a less extent, perhaps, other colors operate in the same way. 

The question, therefore, presents itself: — Is not the best way to match 
colors to prevent their fading, so far as prevention can be made to apply? 
One's doctor will affirm that a mound of prevention is worth a mountain of 
cure. 

It is not expected to make this prevention so sweeping and effectual as 
to merit the title of a cure-all. But preventive measures, diligently prac- 
ticed, will lessen the fading evil, and thus reduce the work of matching 
colors to the minimum. The mixing of colors, as already alluded to in 
these chapters, should, so far as it is within the power of enlightened paint 
shop knowledge, be made an exact process. Carelessness and guess work 
are not to be tolerated. Exact measurements of all the ingredients which 
go into a batch of color or paint are necessary. Then a firm insistence upon 

/ 



PB ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 119 

hardy, durable grounds, regardless of the hurrying shouts of the populace, 
is in order. A fugitive red, or any other fugitive color, as a matter of fact, 
is given a support that will add to its permanency, by adjusting the ground 
color with such a strong binder of varnish that the color has a ' 'live look' ' to 
it — an approach to a faint egg-shell gloss, let us say. The retention of the 
final color's original purity and strength is in this way made more perma- 
nent. 

In color matching, however, which, despite our best efforts, must 
continue to be a part of paint shop practice, it is best to take over to the 
mixing bench a certain part of the work to be touched up, and, touching a 
few inches of space with varnish so that it can be seen what the spots and 
what the color as a whole will look like under a fresh coat of varnish, pro- 
ceed to gauge the matching color to it. It is a principle adhered to by many 
skilled workmen in the matching of colors that the touch-up color should 
contain sufficient varnish to cause it to dry with a stout gloss. A color fur- 
nished with a strong varnish gloss will reflect more light than it will absorb, 
and vice versa. And the color which in process of drying absorbs more light 
than it reflects, will, as a rule, when varnished over, be a different color (or 
a different shade, hue, or tint of that color) than it looked to be in the mixing 
pot or on the surface after it had simply dried free from "tack." An absorp- 
tion of light has effected a chemical or other change in it, and what was 
judged as a close match proves a wide departure from it. Even with the 
counteracting agency of varnish, a color is pretty sure to dry out lighter 
than it appears in the mixing cup, so that close calculation and the exercise 
of the colorist's art in a fine way is needed to get the desired match. 

The touch-up color having been satisfactorily prepared and tested, the 
felloes and all places on the job worn bare to the wood being, in the mean- 
time, touched with lead and oil, the work of touching first the body and 
then the running parts is carried along. 

Then the dressing of the top, side curtains, and, if need be, the dash, 
ensues. The interior of the body is next varnished, then the outside surface 
is flowed, and, finally, the running parts. 

Coming next to the touch-up-and-varnish job, and by many painters 
regarded as belonging to the same class, is the job that gets one coat of color, 
striping, and one coat of varnish. This job offers an opportunity for decep- 
tion of which the paint shop graduates in the school of intellectual villainy 
are quick to take advantage. They solemnly assure the prospective cus- 
tomer that they WiW paint his vehicle for, say, $6, the price asked ordinarily 
for the color and one coat varnish job. The stranger, caught by the price 
and the alluring prospect of getting the job paijited, responds to the "hold 
up" until the dishonesty of the thing is revealed, as it is sure to be, bj^ 
the exacting needs of service. The color, stripe, and varnish job 
calls for no little dexterity in many cases, in placing the color directly 
over a hard, flinty surface of paint and varnish and making it stay for a 



120 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

reasonable term of service. The surface once cleaned, as per directions in tlie 
preceding case, the body is given a light rub with water and pumice stone 
flour, and the gear is treated to a smart smoothing off with fine sandpaper. 
These fine, and, to the naked eye, almost invisible scratches and furrows, 
suffice to afford a foothold, a gripping place, for the color. These hard, 
adamantine surfaces over which quick colors are often necessarily placed 
may be classed as prolific sources of color flaking and chipping. In addition 
to the sandpapering as a means of promoting durability, the use of a strong 
binder of varnish in the color is advised. The one coat color, stripe, and 
varnish job is quickly done and should afford a good profit. 

The color, color-and- varnish, stripe, and finish job simply means a coat 
of color-and- varnish applied over the color after it has been placed as just 
described. Then a "mossing" or rubbing with hair to the extent of knocking 
of the gloss of thecolor-and-varnish, striping, and finishing, the body surface, 
of course, to get a rather light rub with water and pumice stone, both before 
applying the color and after applying the color-and-varnish. Should the 
body surface show signs of being fissured and cracked somewhat, it were 
better to forego the rubbing with pumice stone and water, substituting 
therefor a dressing down with No. }4 sandpaper. This provides against 
moisture getting into the checks and causing trouble. 

Following in the wake of the above class of work come the jobs that are 
afflicted with all sorts and conditions of surface ailments; jobs that ought 
properly to be burned off" if the owners could be convinced of the economy 
of the process. One way of treating a body surface threaded with fissures 
consists of taking a two-inch scraper, such as car painters use, made of a file 
cranked over at both ends so as to give two cutting blades, and scraping the 
varnish completely off down to the undercoatings of color and paint. Follow 
the scraping with a quick rubbing with lump pumice stone or a fine grade of 
brick and water, avoiding even a close approach to the wood. In most cases 
the cracks will, by this process, be pretty cleanly removed; when they are 
not entirely slicked off the remaining vestiges are, as a rule, so faintly traced 
as to give no further trouble when bridged over by the coats of lead, color, 
and varnish. The rubbing once completed, the surface is given time to dry 
out thoroughly; then sanding with No. ensues, this, in turn, giving way to 
a coat of facing lead mixed to dry without gloss, the lead being colored to a 
decided slate shade with lampblack. Apply with a camel's-hair brush. 
Sandpaper this coat with No. }4 paper; then apply color, and finish out as 
previously advised in these chapters. If a different plan of filling up is 
preferred, cut down the surface with No. 2 sandpaper, and first apply a lead 
coat mixed of yi raw linseed oil to ^3 turpentine. In 48 hours give a coat 
of roughstuff made of keg lead and filler, equal parts by weight, thinned to 
a stiff paste with rubbing varnish and japan, half and half, and then reduced 
to a free brushing consistency with turpentine. First puttying should be 
done on the lead coat, and the second one on the first filler coat. A couple 

/ 



PBACTICAL CABBIAQE ANB WAGON PAINTING. 121 

more of roughstuff coats will suffice to give the needed bod}^ of rubbing pig- 
ment. Thus the old flinty foundation is furnished with the requisite ela.s- 
ticity through the medium of the oil lead coat. The roughstuff foundation 
is made to dry hard and firm, like unto the condition of the old foundation 
itself, and in this way an affinity between the old and the new is established. 

Another foundation is quickly builded by taking any good roughstuff 
filler and reducing it to a spreading consistency with shellac, the first coat, 
however, being made a bit thinner in body than the succeeding coats, so that 
it will more readily penetrate the cracks. Three coats of this preparation 
usually suffices to yield the necessary foundation free from fissures or other 
blemishes. The roughstuff filler and shellac make a compound remarkably 
quick setting; hence, it must be worked very quickly if smoothness of appli- 
cation would be achieved. 

Again, it is the practice in some quarters to sandpaper the old surface 
down as close as possible, giving a stout coat of lead mixed with }( oil to ^ 
turpentine, and when this coat has dried for a couple of days, putty all the 
deep cavities, following, the day after, with a glazing of putty over the sur- 
face, the glazing being done with a broad putty knife, and the putty being 
worked out to a uniform film and as smooth as possible. 

In respect to the running parts, all flaky, shelly patches of surface 
should be scraped. All torn and shredded places require smoothing down 
nicely with scraper and sandpaper. The old remaining paint should be per- 
fectly solid and secure. The parts cleaned and scoured to the bare wood 
had best be given a lead coat containing, as one of its liquid ingredients, at 
least yi linseed oil. The second coat, applied, like the first, with a camel's- 
hair brush, may contain merely a binder of oil, avoidance of gloss being a 
strictly observed rule. Then putty deep holes and indentations, following 
this with draw puttying all parts in need of such treatment. Upon this lead 
coat, or a second one if the owner is not averse to pajang for it, the finish is 
reached in the usual way, as advised in a former chapter. In painting over 
these cracked, flaky, and insecure foundations, the first principle to be ob- 
served is to get the shaky, shelly material completely removed, leaving 
nothing but the firm and securely fastened pigment. The second one is to 
secure as thorough an amalgamation of the old and new materials as practical 
paint-shop knowledge and skill will insure. 

BURNING OFF PAINT. 

However good the crack-filling formulas may be, they are at best only 
expedients of temporary value. Burning off the paint, thus getting a sure 
foundation from the wood itself, is effective and free from those injurious 
effects which are so often characteristic of paint removing preparations, etc. 
As in the past affirmed by the writer, "with the old more or less shaky foun- 
dation, concerning the exact nature of which no man knoweth, fairly and 
cleanly removed, the painter is enabled to work from the foundation coat to 



122 PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

the finish with the bright light of knowledge concerning the preparation and 
application of the materials used, drying, action, etc., flashing through his 
mind." This is why burning off is so much more satisfactory, usually, to 
the painter. In the lingo of the street, he knows "where he is at," and the 
measure of security afforded him. 

To do first-class paint burning — and the other kind is not to be consid- 
ered in these chapters — the workman must be provided with a strictly reli- 
able and good-working lamp, burning gasoline or naphtha. To be 
maintained in a condition to render satisfactory results, the flues and mech- 
anism require thorough cleaning and inspection before the lamp is laid 
away after use. No unused fluid should be allowed to remain in the reser- 
voir of the lamp when it is not in use, as the vapor arising therefrom will 
very shortly deposit a film of sticky substance on the surface of the flues that 
will prevent a smooth and even flame when the lamp is again put into use. 
And eventually, if the flues are permitted to become more or less choked up 
in this way, the lamp will refuse to work at all. Explosions and accidents 
of many kinds are possible with the lamp that is allowed to .log and gum 
up. The burning lamp should be kept in a clean place, and show a clean, 
bright surface, both interior and exterior. A couple of putty knives, one 
narrow and one broad blade, a good, serviceable glove or mitten provided 
with a wrist and half-arm sleeve, and a leather apron reaching well up to the 
workman's chest, belong to the burner's kit, and should be kept in close 
company with the lamp. 

The operation of burning consists in simply directing the flame upon 
the surface long enough to soften up the pigment and permit of its easy 
removal with the knife. In a way, "burning off" is a misnomer. To 
literally burn the paint oflF, as the apprentice might possibly construe the term 
if not otherwise enlightened, would result in charring the wood to a harmful 
extent. Begin burning at a part of the surface which will allow the softened 
paint to be thrown off over a portion of the surface still coated with paint. 
As the knife is usually handled with the right hand it is best to begin burning 
on the left side of the panel. Thus the softened paint is thrown to the right 
and across the unburned portion of the surface. It is a wise rule to remember, 
in connection with this work, that a job burned right is in a fair way to be 
painted right. If through an accident or otherwise the surface should get 
scorched in places, a complete scraping out of the burned wood fibres will be 
necessary. Then with equal parts of raw linseed oil and turpentine touch 
just the charred patches. After a solid block sandpapering, the surface may 
be taken in hand and conducted to a finish in the usual way. 

TABLE OF MATERIALS USED IN PAINTING VEHICLES. 
For a landau: — 

BODY. 

Priming 2 quarts 

Lead l/z " 

/ 



PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AXl) WAGOX PAINTING. 123 

Putty ^ to lyo lbs. 

Sandpaper 10 sheets 

Roughstuff (four coats) 1 gallon 

Guide coat ^ quart 

Color (per coat) 1 pint 

Color-and- varnish (2 coats) 1% quarts 

Clear rubbing (1 coat) 1}^ pints 

Coat of finishing 1^ " 

RUNNING PARTS. 

Priming 1^ quarts 

Rub lead ,. 1% " 

Lead coat 1 " 

Putty % lb. 

Sandpaper 12 sheets 

Color 1 pint 

Color-and- varnish (per coat) 1^ pints 

Clear rubbing 1% " 

Coat finishing 1 quart 

In the case of a Berlin coach, perhaps the quantity of each item of 
material should be increased over the above to the extent of % for the body 
surface. Running parts require the same quantity. The body of a six-pas- 
senger rockaway will need, approximately, }i less material than the body of 
the landau or couch. The body of the coupe-rockaway ^ less. Running 
parts consume about the same quantity as the heavier vehicles here named. 

The quantity of varnish named for the above vehicles provides for toe- 
boards, checks, steps, bottoms, etc. 

For buggies of the various styles: 

BODY. 

Priming ^ pint 

Lead ^ " 

Putty i< lb. 

Sandpaper 6 sheets 

Roughstuff (4 coats) 1 quart 

Color (2 coats) 1 pint 

Lampblack (for bottoms) ■ ^ " 

Color- and-varnish ^ " 

Clear rubbing (2 coats) 1 " 

Finishing varnish ^ 

Varnish in color and filler 1 " 

RUNNING PARTS,. 

Priming 1 pint 

Lead (2 coats) ■ 1^ " 

Putty 3/^ lb. 

Sandpaper 12 sheets 

Color 1 pint 

Color-and- varnish 1 ^ " 

Clear rubbing 1^ " 

Coat of finishing , 1^ " 



124 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

Such light pleasure vehicles as surreys, cabriolets, etc., require an 
increase in the quantity of each item of material over that accorded to the 
buggies and phaetons of about one-half. 

The above tables may be of benefit to some of my readers who desire a 
practical basis upon which to estimate the cost of the material to be used 
upon a certain vehicle. lyabor is said by competent authorities to represent 
75 per cent of the cost of painting a vehicle. With the cost of material at 
hand — a computation made comparatively easy by the aid of the tables here 
set forth — and with 75 per cent of the whole cost credited to the labor item, 
a very close estimate upon general vehicle painting can be made. 

Guess work in gauging the price of a job of vehicle painting paves the 
way to an unprofitable business venture; more surely in these days of up- 
roarious competition than in times past. Careful estimates, which include 
cost of labor, material, shop rent, wear and tear of tools, and such other 
incidental features of business which may properly be taken note of in an 
estimate, have come to be imperative necessities in carriage and wagon 
painting. Verily, it is true that it is not all of painting to paint — estiinating 

should be included therein. 

TOPS AND DASHES. 

The proper care and treatment of carriage tops and dashes forms one of 
the significant features of the re-painting business. About every class of 
citizens who have to do with carriages — the trimmer, harness-maker, livery 
man, blacksmith, hack-driver, and jockey — regularlj^ come forward bubbling 
over with advice and formulas for the preservation of tops; but usually the 
paint shop is resorted to as the Court of Appeal. The aim of the painter 
should be to impart to the top and dash a finish which will correspond to 
that given the other parts of the vehicle, at the same time furnishing the 
leather or rubber a preservative agent that will provide reasonable durability. 

In every jobbing paint shop a space should be set apart for the safe and 
clean storage of tops and dashes; also cushions, carpets, and other interior 
furnishings. In the space selected for the purpose a rack made to conform 
to the size of the space may be erected. Build it to consist of two tiers, with 
a half-story tier above for the holding of cushions, carpets, etc. If the space 
is large enough, make the rack, say, 12 feet long, 10 feet high, and 4 feet 
wide. The two first tiers will hold six buggy tops. The rack is made of 
1-inch and 2-inch stuff, hemlock, say, and need not cost to exceed $1.50. 
Tops that are regularly calashed will require only half space. Under no 
circumstances should a top be calashed and stored away in the shop unless 
it has been used and subject to such treatment. The top (and the dash also, 
when removed), upon removal should be cleaned thoroughly before being 
set away. If the top joints need a coating of lead it should be given them 
prior to placing them in the rack or permanent storage place. It is bad 
policy to defer painting and finishing such parts until it is nearly time to 
hang off the other parts of the vehicle. A uniform quality of finish cannot 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 125 

in this way be secured. The irons on tops, if chipped, rusted, etc., require 
lead, often a facing with putty, color, color-and-varnish, a light rub with 
pumice stone flour and water, and finishing with a good hard drying varnish. 
A few days before the vehicle is finished the top belonging to it may be taken 
in hand, the lining carefully dusted out, and the leather or rubber sponged 
off and dried over with a chamois skin. The further treatment may depend 
upon the material of which the top is composed. A great many vehicle 
owners, livery men in particular, prefer to have leather tops — except the 
badly worn ones — go without a dressing of any kind, a simple washing with 
castile soap and soft water being thought to amply suffice. Hand-buffed 
leather tops in good condition, in the writer's estimation, require no dressing; 
the machine-buffed ones, however, are benefited by a thin, evenly-applied 
coat of some strictly reliable enamel top dressing. And it is pertinent here 
to say that even the best of dressings, those which long usage has sanctioned 
as of established value, are of such a nature that they are beneficial only 
when applied sparingly. A dressing, to be genuinely useful to the carriage 
painter, should preserve the enamel of a top, strengthen the leather or 
rubber, and enable it to retain its natural flexibility for the longest possible 
period. 

If, then, the top be rubber or machine-bufied leather, apply dressing, 
not forgetting the side curtains. If a leather top and the owner wishes it to 
be given some preparation other than the regulation enamel top dressing of 
commerce, the following formulas may be used, the two first being particu- 
larly beneficial to the leather. 

Fonmcla No. i. — Neatsfoot oil, 1 pint, beef suet, yk lb. Melt the oil and 
suet together. Then add a tablespoonful of melted beeswax, mixing the 
ingredients carefully, and confining in an air-tight vessel. The beeswax has 
a cooling property greatly to be desired in a leather preservative. 

Formula No. 2. — Darken neatsfoot oil with a drop black. Apply 
sparingl}^ and rub out well with soft rags. This formula does not give the 
brilliancy of finish that an enamel dressing does, but it gives to the leather a 
softness and pliability not obtained otherwise. 

Formtda No. j. — Adapted for either rubber or leather. Of finishing var- 
nish, 1 quart; beeswax, 1 oz; drop black, sufficient to color mixture properl)% 
Thin to a brushing consistency with the turpentine. The worth and reli- 
ability of No. 3 is vouched for by a jobbing shop painter of twenty-five years' 
experience. 

Formula No. ^. — This provides for the use of boiled linseed oil stained 
with drop black thinned with turpentine. Apply this preparation with a 
brush, rubbing it out well and uniformly. Set aside for 30 minutes; then 
with clean soft rags, rub the mixture off, polishing until a clean- cloth shows 
no stain when rubbed over the leather. Places which show cracks and hard 
service will need a second coating with the mixture. The leather is not 
thickened with this mixture, has no unusual attraction for dust and dirt, and 
will remain soft and flexible. 



126 PB ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AXD WAGCN PAINTING. 

Fine grained leather dashes, fenders, etc., which do not look worn or 
rusty, appearing only soiled and somewhat smeary, maj^ be gone over with 
a cloth saturated lightly with kerosene oil, and then polished with soft 
woolen rags. 

The commoner grades may be given patent enamel dressing, or, if pre- 
ferred, a thin coat of drop black rubbed off immediately with soft rags and 
then flowed with a first-class finishing varnish. If much worn, they may 
be greatly freshened up and renewed if treated with some of the formulas 
given herewith. 
MARKING AND METHODS OF IDENTIFYING VEHICLES AND THEIR PARTS. 

The jobbing paint shop requires and should be given a system of 
marking and tabulating all work taken in, so that when the finish is reached 
and hanging off occurs, valuable time need not be wasted in searching for 
mislaid and unidentified parts, such as cushions, carpets, storm aprons, and 
the like. Unless each part is carefully marked with a properly filled out 
tag attached to said part, and an itemized entry made in the receiving book 
fitted with printed forms, a filled out form being given the vehicle owner 
and a duplicate copy retained by the painter, "confusion worse confounded" 
may be expected to occasionally occur. The following is a blank form which 
the writer several years ago published and, having seen it in use in the 
painting business, he can cheerfully endorse its merits as a practical working 
form : 

RECHIVKD FROM 

BY 



DAY MONTH DATE 

REICEIVED ON 

TO BE FINISHED ON 



ARTICLES EEFT WITH 



REMARKS. 



WASHING FINISHED WORK. 

The duty of the painter does not end with the hanging off of the fin- 
ished vehicle. He has still one other important mission to perform, namely, 

/ 



PBACTICAL CABBlAdE AXB WAGON PAINTING. 127 

proffering advice to the vehicle owner upon the preservation of carriage 
surfaces. Such advice may be directed along the following lines: — 

Carriages require storage in apartments free from dampness, furnished 
with plenty of light, invited if possible, from all sides, and entirely removed 
from the stable and its attendant emanations of ammoniacal gases. Ammonia, 
make the vehicle user understand, is a deadly enemy to colors and varnish. 
Brick walls may also correctly be classed as paint and varnish enemies 
causing loss of lustre and general deterioration A newly- varnished vehicle 
surface is greatly benefited, once the varnish is sufficiently hard to permit 
it, by frequent washings with clean cold water. Premature water baths, 
however, are to be avoided, save when made absolutely necessary by reason 
of mud spotting or other accidents of that order. The suggestion one hears 
occasionall}^ offered to the effect that a surface may be safely rinsed with 
water three days after being finished is not founded upon practical paint- 
shop or varnish-making philosophy, so long as it is made to apply to a high- 
grade elastic varnish. Such a varnish may be, to a mere finger touch, quite 
dry, but in reality onh^ the outer film is partially dry, and putting it into ser- 
vice or submitting it to a cold water bath are each in their turn risky exper- 
iments. The fact that an elastic varnish has reached the free-from-dust 
dr3nng stage should not be taken as a trustworthy indication that the time 
for washing has arrived. 

There is no question concerning the benefit of a cold water rinsing to a 
varnish surface that has well hardened as to its outer film. Frequent wash- 
ings wall then improve its lustre and durability. It must always be taken 
into consideration that in the case of first-class painting, assimilation of the 
various varnish coats ensues, and a fair measure of time is therefore neces- 
sar}^ after the aplication of the finishing coat ere the washing can be safely 
given. In washing a varnish surface, gaseous impurities which so readily 
accumulate, are removed. 

Varnish, when at a certain temperature, is susceptible of contraction 
when any colder body is brought in contact with it. This is the controlling 
principle of varnish washing. The contraction of a not properly hardened 
varnish, after cold water is applied to it, causes the liquid gas of the varnish 
to escape through the medium of evaporation. Dr3dng, according to the 
natural laws of drying, a varnish retains those elements which add to its 
brilliancy and elastic properties. When forced to dry by virtue of premature 
cold water flooding, unfavorable results may be expected to follow. 

Washing a newl3^-varnished vehicle should never occur under the bright 
glare of the sun. Plenty of water flooded gently upon the surface with a 
soft sponge is a necessity in the washing process. Dirt accumulations, if 
any, are softened and carried from the surface under the volume of water. 
After a careful sponging, the surface may be dried off nicel}'' with a clean 
lint-free chamois skin. If a hose be used, it should be adroitly wielded, and 
the stream so gauged that no harm can come to the surface from the water 



128 PEACTICAL CARRIAGE AI\W WAGON PAINTING. 

pressure. The hose in the hands of an incompetent coachman is the cause 
of a great many accidents to freshly laid varnish. 

Caution the washer against wetting the inside of the carriage bod5^ 
Glue joints, etc., do not strongly resist the attacks of water. Under no cir- 
cumstances permit water to dry on the surface. Stains more or less pro- 
nounced are almost sure to follow. Hot water, soapy water, or water not 
strictly clean should not be allowed to come in contact with a surface of 
varnish. Do not allow mud to dry upon the surface. Wash it immediately^ 
upon its return to the carriage house after being run in the mud. 
SCHEDULE OF PRICES FOR RE-PAINTING. 

The prices here given are presented in the nature of a working plan for 
the benefit of painters located in the smaller towns and villages of the 
country. The schedule is subject to revision or correction in localities where 
the prevailing grade of work does not warrant the adoption of the prices 
herein set forth. 

Touch- up and varnish buggy or phaeton (dress top if necessary). . .$ 5.50 
Rubbing bodies of above jobs, give coat of color throughout 

bodies and gears, stripe and finish 7.00 

Extra coat of varnish to above jobs '. 2.00 

Burning paint off body of phaeton or buggy, surfacing gears with 

lead and re-painting throughout 15.00 

Burning paint from gear 3.00 

Touch-up and varnish surrey 7.00 

Extra coat of varnish for above job 3.00 

Extra coat of varnish for body 1.50 

Painting surrey throughout .14.00 

Burning paint off entire job and re-painting 20.00 

Touch-up and varnish cabriolet 10.00 

Extra coat of varnish for above job 4,00 

Extra coat of varnish for body 2.00 

Painting cabriolet first-class throughout 23.00 

Burning paint off body 3.00 

Burning paint off job entire and painting 30.00 

Touch-up and varnish a four or six passenger rockaway 20.00 

Additional coat of varnish for above job 10 00 

Surfacing upon the old paint structure and re-painting 40.00 

Burning off body and re-painting job 50.00 

Touch-up and varnish brougham or landau 25.00 

Surfacing and painting over the old paint structure 48.00 

Burning paint off body, re-painting, and finishing throughout 60.00 

Touch-up and varnish Berlin coach 30.00 

Surfacing and painting upon the old paint 55.00 

Burning paint off body, re-painting and finishing entire 70.00 

Painting and finishing hearse 45.00 

Burning paint off body, re-painting, and finishing job entire 55.00 

Touch-up and varnish hearse 20.00 

Platform wagons: surfacing and painting upon old paint structure 12.00 

Color, color-and- varnish, stripe, and finish 10.00 

Varnish light business wagon 6.00 

/ 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 129 

Painting light express or business wagon without top 10.00 to 12.00 

Painting top light express or business wagon 2.00 

Painting heavy express or business wagon 12.00 to 15.00 

Painting top heavy express or business wagon 3 00 

Lettering on vehicles, per foot, plain paint 15 to .20 

Lettering, per foot, shaded 20 to ,25 

Lettering, per foot, shaded and ornamented 35 to .40 

Lettering, per foot, plain gold 45 to .50 

Lettering, per foot, shaded 60 to .70 

Lettering, ornamented gold 80, .90, and 1.00 



CHAPTER XIV. 

A STUDY OF MATERIALS: WHITE LEAD. ITS PURITY, ETC.— QUALITY OF 
COLORS IN GENERAL— ADULTERATION PRACTICALLY CONSIDERED- 
PURITY OF RAW LINSEED OIL— TURPENTINE— TESTING COACH JAPAN 
—VARNISH. 

THE name of a thing should not be accepted for all there is to the 
thing itself. The carriage painter has very pronounced reasons for 
bearing this fact in mind when engaged in studying and passing 
judgment upon the materials he finds it needful to use in his business. Prob- 
ably the most important pigment which finds its way into the carriage and 
wagon paint shop is white lead. This pigment has afforded a theme for 
increasing discussion, its qualities and adaptability having been extensively 
canvassed. Numerous substitutes have been introduced during the past two 
decades, but white lead still retains its pre-eminent popularity. lycad com- 
pounds and various adulterated brands have given the painter plenty of 
trouble, and caused him to devote more attention to the quality of his white 
lead stock than formerly. Because of its soft, pliable, grain-filling property, 
its established elasticity, density, body, fine working quality, and its merits 
as a reliable drying pigment, white lead is the filling up and foundation 
material par excellence. 

The purity of lead deserves the carriage painter's first consideration. It 
has been practically determined that a pure lead, endowed with all the vir- 
tues which should distinguish pure lead, when mixed and used in combina- 
tion with other pigments or colors, holds its quality better and is less sus- 
ceptible of change than a compound or adulterated lead. Moreover, pure 
white lead, with its soft, fine, elastic texture, has a natural adhesiveness, a 
surface-filling and leveling-up property, which the impure lead carrying a 
percentage of gritty, flinty ingredients does not possess. The pure lead 
works out under the brush more pleasantly and with less brushing than the 
compound, and it dries with greater uniformity, etc. 

At the same time it is well to remember that a strictly pure lead may 
have a number of features in its make-up decidedly objectionable to the car- 
riage painter. It may be imperfectly wavShed, or it may be too coarsely 
ground, etc. In his study of white lead, then, the painter will find it a 
matter of value to determine the adaptability of the lead to the requirements 
of his business. After convincing himself of the purity of the lead, it re- 
mains for him to test for fineness of grinding. . A lead ground fine — impal- 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAIXTIXG. 131 

pably fine, if it please my readers — lightens the labor of sandpapering, 
strikes into the wood fibres stoutly, and covers the maxinnim surface space. 
It has good coloring and covering power when mixed with colors to form 
tints, and for other important parts which a white lead plays in vehicle 
painting it is especially adapted. 

Nor should a carriage lead be ground in too large a percentage of oil. 
For coats between priming and color but comparatively little oil is needed, 
and washing out with benzine or turpentine entails an unnecessary amount 
of labor. Hence, it should be insisted upon that carriage painters' lead be 
ground moderately stiff in oil, so that protracted washing-out may be avoided 
on the one hand, and extended mixing and breaking-up operations shunned 
on the other. A practical and, at the same time, a conclusive test of fine- 
ness is furnished by taking two pieces of plate glass 8x8 inches in size, set- 
ting them securely in blocks of wood, and then smearing a couple of small 
flakes of the lead, rubbing the pieces of glass together. Continue rubbing 
with a firm, even pressure until a uniform distribution of the pigment and a 
thorough impact is established. The glasses should then disclose the nature 
of the grinding. To learn the drying power of the lead, take the palette knife 
and slick a small quantity over the glass and set aside, noting the time con- 
sumed in drying. A lead ground in the proper proportion of oil for carriage 
work should, as taken from the keg and smeared in a thin film over the 
glass, dry in twelve hours so that the finger may be passed over it without 
sticking. 

What has here been said in reference to chemical purity or strictly pure 
as a necessity in the white lead product does not apply to all the pigments so 
useful to the vehicle painter. For reasons here shown lead extenders and 
lead compounds should be emphatically objected to. A disavowal of their 
worth as carriage painting pigments, however, in no wise lessens the signifi- 
cance of the fact, as already pointed out, that a strictly pure lead is very 
often an expensive, if, indeed, it be not a worthless, lead to buy. Chemically 
pure is not invariably an accurate gauge of quality. A chemically pure lead 
that has not fineness to recommend it lacks an essentiall}^ vital quality. In 
respect to the pigments and colors following in the wake of white lead it has 
been made plain on many a hard-fought field of experiment that the color 
consumer, the practical painter, the workman far removed from the analytic 
gentleman of the laboratories, is chiefly concerned in getting a pigment or 
color adapted to his needs more completely than any other available one. It 
may not be chemically pure as the chemists would construe the term; but if 
it responds satisfactorily to a practical test, it is then serving the painter's 
practical need. As declared by the writer, in an article published some 
time ago, "a color or pigment may be pure in the sense that it is not adul- 
terated, and still fall short of being chemically pure. It is the duty of the 
consumer to avoid buying, under the label 'strictly pure,' an adulterated 
color. The real color contained in such a product is then costing him con- 



132 PRACTICAL CARJilAGE AKD WAGOX PAIKTIKG. 

siderably more than would a color in a slate of purity." The chemist and 
the practical painter do not agree oftentimes upon what may be called adul- 
terants. Once upon a time, as the fairy books say at a painters' conven- 
tion the chemist employed to make an analysis of chrome yellow stated in 
substance that practically everything outside of the chromate of lead should 
be classed as an adulterant or as a matter out of place. The practical painter 
who has looked up the subject of chrome yellow manufacture could tell the 
chemist in this case that he has signally failed to take into consideration the 
necessary constituents of the different shades of chrome yellow. As, for ex- 
ample, acetate and nitrate of lead, bichromate of potash and bichromate of 
soda, sulphate of soda, etc, are constituents of a pure chromate of lead. And 
our friend, the chemist, would tell us that a chromate of lead composed of 
some of the above ingredients is not a chemically pure article. What the 
carriage painter, the consumer, will find it of value to ask himself is this: 
Does a given pigment or color suit the requirements of my business? If in 
doubt as to the utility of the given pigment or color, then an immediate 
practical test should be resorted to. It is not the purpose of the writer to be- 
little the position or the usefulness of the chemist. The value of a chemical 
analysis in the detection of adulteration and in explaining how a color is 
made is cheerfully acknowledged; but after the chemist's deduction must 
follow the practical test. In conducting a practical test the foremost aim of 
the painter should be to consider the color or pigment to be tested in relation 
to the object for which it is intended. Shade, brilliancy, working property, 
durability, etc. , are entitled to a careful and chief consideration in a test for 
quality. And a test for quality, if conducted painstakingly and thoroughly, 
will disclose the real value of the material to the consumer. When extenders 
are added to a pigment for the sole purpose of enriching the manufacturer 
at the expense of the consumer, the practice becomes adulteration, pure and 
simple. If, however, such extenders are used to, and actually do, increase 
a pigment's usefulness, fortifying it in a way and to an extent that it needs 
to be fortified, the painter will not attempt to question its commercial value. 
The study of the pigments which the vehicle painter calls to his uses is 
a feature of business deserving the most rigid attention. Carried on watcli- 
fully and with a vigilant regard for details, it cannot well fail to increase 

paint shop profits. 

LIQUID MATERIALS. 

In the consumption of liquid materials the vehicle painter has no use 
for extenders. Unfortunately, however, the thrifty and shifty sons of adul- 
teration, after the manner of Marco Bozzaris, in the Fourth Reader, arc 
struggling, tooth and nail, to adulterate linseed oil and the turpentine product 
in a way to defy detection. 

What the cathode ray is to a certain branch of science, pure raw linseed 
oil is to carriage and wagon painting. Back in a somewhat indefinite period 
of the past, linseed oil pre-empted the chief claim in the domain of paint and 

/ 



I'BACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 133 

varnish, and its right to a royal office in that domain has never yet been suc- 
cessfully disputed, notwithstanding the fact that a flood of substitutes and 
counterfeits have been turned loose upon the market. In the language of 
another, "Raw linseed oil is the king of the paint realm. There are lots of 
usurpers in the field but they are short lived. The true homage of the 
brotherhood of the brush continues to be paid to the old stand-by. It is the 
gold of the paint shop currency. ' ' 

In the basic stage of carriage and wagon painting, pure raw linseed oil 
is conceded to be the life of the pigment. Impure or adu'terated linseed oil 
— the spurious, fraudulent article, if you please — has more to do with the 
premature decay of paint and varnish than one at first thought might con- 
cede. During the process of painting there are numerous complications 
which, by the harsh reality of scientific analysis, could be directly traced to 
the insidious effects of an adulterated brand of oil. Investigations conducted 
by competent experts have shown that the self-assertiveness of adulterated 
oil is determined, not so much by apparent unfavorable effects upon the 
under coats, but rather from its resistless attack upon the lustre and dur- 
ability of the finishing varnish. Some of the oils used to adulterate linseed 
oil arc pronounced by such authorities as Hurst and Terry to be good driers, 
although, as in the case of rosin oil, they may seemingly dry good upon the 
surface only to soften up later on. And provided these adulterant oils are 
not good driers, the people engaged in floating them along the avenues of 
trade have simply to add a certain proportion of drying japan to O. K. them 
in this respect. 

The vehicle painter's practice of using raw linseed oil insures him some- 
what against oil adulteration, as it is much more difficult to adulterate the 
raw linseed product than the boiled and have the fraud go undetected. A 
raw linseed oil when fresh and new is of a bright yellowish-green color, 
and as it grows older it becomes paler in color and perhaps a little brighter. 
When spread on a surface in a thin film and exposed to a pure dry air it will 
harden quite solidly in from forty-five to fifty hours. It ranks as reliable 
drying oil, promptly solidifying when acted upon by peroxide of hydrogen 
or by subnitrate of mercurj^ A non-drying oil refuses to show a change of 
this kind. Combining powerfully with oxygen, it offers, when dry, a 
stronger resinous character than any other oil. 

Probably the chief adulterants of linseed oil should be listed as rosin, 
mineral, and fish oil; cottonseed oil being looked upon with less favor than 
formerly, while hempseed oil, owing to its pronounced tendenc}' to change 
color, is not much in evidence at present. 

Rosin oil is strictly an unreliable drier. It toughens the working prop- 
erty of paint and is deficient in all the essentials which should distinguish a 
good paint oil. Its low flash point, as indicated by Hurst, — 300° to 330° 
F. — together with its strong rosin odor when heated, would appear to make 
it an easily-detected adulterant. Deodorizing processes have of late served 



134 PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

to fortify this oil, and fish oil as well, against detection by the sense of smell. 
Fish oil, chiefly the product of the menhaden fishing industry flourishing so 
vigorously along the Atlantic coast, has naturally an offensively fishy odor, 
particularly when heated. Its main recommendations as a linseed oil adul- 
terant are tersely summed up by Terry as follows: The rapidity with which 
it oxidizes, and its good body, render it not unsuitable as a vehicle for paint. 

The low cost of mineral oils, including coal oil and petroleum, has caused 
them to become highly regarded as linseed oil adulterating mediums. Min- 
eral oils more unfavorably affect the drying property of paint than its work- 
ing and spreading property. 

Cottonseed oil belongs to the non-drying class of oils, but since recent 
processes have made possible the elimination of the pronounced acrid taste, 
its presence in linseed oil by the sense of taste is not easy to expose. 

Hempseed oil is a mean tasting, mean smelling, but good drying oil, 
and only because of its rapid color changes, wearing finally to a dull brown, 
is its employment in linseed oil restricted to narrow limits. 

In testing for linseed oil adulteration, ammonia is often effectively used, 
equal parts of the ammonia and oil being employed. Cottonseed oil under 
the ammonia treatment shows an opaque brown. When it is present in lin- 
seed oil the liquid goes to an opaque yellow. Fish oil under the effects of 
ammonia goes white. Rosin oil will disclose its presence in linseed oil if 
confined in a bottle, with alcohol added in the proportion of five parts of al- 
cohol to one part of oil, and smartly shaken, the alcohol afterwards being 
poured off. A clear sugar-of-lead solution is added to the oil, and should 
rosin oil be an ingredient a cloudy precipitate will manifest itself. A prac- 
tical and simple test often used in the carriage paint shop consists in taking 
a couple of test tubes and putting a quantity of linseed oil of known purity 
in one tube and a quantitj" of suspected oil in the other, then immersing the 
tubes in warm water for, say, }^ of an hour, and immediately upon removal 
from the water pouring the pure oil into the tube of suspected oil. If any 
impurity exists, different colors will form in laj^ers. And it may be here 
proper to say, in passing, that in making tests and comparisons of materials, 
an article of established purity and quality should be used as a standard. 
Some time ago a well-known paint firm issued a card giving some easy and 
practical tests for the detection of linseed oil adulterants, and knowing their 
value to the vehicle painter, the writer herewith appends three tests: 

No 1. — Shake equal parts of oil and strong nitric acid in a small white 
glass vial or bottle, and allow to stand from fifteen minutes to two liours. 

UPPER • LOWER 

STRATUM STRATUM 

Pure I Muddy Almost 

lyinseed oil j olive green colorless 

Presence of \ Decided deep Deep red or 

Fish oil j red brown cherry color 



PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING.. 135 

No. 2. — Shake with concentrated solution of potash or soda, and then 
add warm water and shake again. Allow to stand half an hour, and if any 
petroleum (parafhne oil) is present it will separate from the soap. 

No. 3. — Put samples of oil in tubes and place them in a freezing mix- 
ture (2 parts ice or snow, 1 part salt). If the oils solidify at 0° or 10° to 13° 
F., then cottonseed oil is probably present. (Pure linseed oil solidifies at 
17° F.) 

The hydrometer should be among the possessions of every well-regu- 
lated paint shop. It is an inexpensive little instrument, and for testing tur- 
pentine it is unsurpassed, while for the detection of coitonseed and mineral 
oil in linseed oil it is a quick and active agent. First test a brand of linseed 
oil of absolute purity; and such an oil, bear in mind, should not vary ^ 
degree from 20° to 60° Fahr. In the case of a 20% addition of mineral oil to 
linseed oil (the same temperature being maintained in testing both the pure 
and the suspected samples) the specific gravity will be lj^° less than the 
pure oil. A 25% addition of cottonseed oil will be 1° lower. Fish oil being 
of about, if not quite, the same specific gravity as pure linseed oil, the adul- 
terator can beat the hydrometer. 

Pure raw linseed oil is so essentially a part of durable carriage and 
wagon painting that especial attention should constantly be directed to the 
oil supply. 

In respect to his purchases of turpentine the painter should be likewise 
cautious and investigating. The adulteration of turpentine with headlight 
oil, or a lower grade of kerosene, and with 112 fire test oil has been, and 
continues to be, actively carried on. This 112 fire test oil, as employed in 
small southern distilleries not shadowed by inspectors, shows a list of ingre- 
dients closely corresponding to, heavy paraffine oil yi ; kerosene, ^^ ; light 
oil, y3. Thus a gravity is provided which registers about the same as pure 
turpentine and is therefore very difficult to detect. The naval authorities 
practice — and it is said, successfully — the old-time test of dropping the sus- 
pected turps on a piece of white paper alongside of a pure brand of turps and 
watching the result. The turps containing the 112 fire test oil will leave, 
upon evaporation, a faint but decided greasy stain. Pure turpentine not too 
rapidly distilled will leave no spot. The turpentine containing traces of the 
crude gum due to too rapid distillation will impart a sticky, yellowish-white 
stain to the paper and this the painter should not confound with the afore- 
mentioned greasy stain of the adulterated turps. In our Eastern, Middle, 
Western, and Northwestern cities the practice of kerosene oil injection is the 
favorite method of cheating the consumer. The sense of smell will some- 
times detect the presence of kerosene; the white paper test will sometimes 
expose it; and again both tests will fail, along with the other usual ones. 
While so keen an authority as Mr. Geo. B. Heckel, of Drugs, Oils and 
Pamts, has acknowledged that the adulterators can cheat the hydrometer to 
a certain extent, it cannot be done with the same measure of profit and im- 



136 Pit ACTIO AL CABTtlAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

puuity as formerly. Mr. Heckel has publicly advised consumers to insist 
on Sl'^ turps, prefacing the advice with the following noteworthy declara- 
tion: "If I were a painter I would never accept a gallon of turpentine with- 
out sticking a hydrometer into it, and if it registered above 31}^° or below 
30j/^° I would not accept it from the United States Treasury." 

What vehicle painter vested with the authority of purchasing the tur- 
pentine supply for a painting 'business, be that business big or little, can 
afford to disregard Mr. Heckel's admonition? To pay turpentine prices for 
kerosene oil is a disastrous drain upon the resources of a painting business, 
in addition to furnishing the materials used an element of insecurity, a germ 
of decay, sure to disturb the durability and comeliness of a painted surface. 
For it is, or should be, in fact, clearly understood that the kerosene or fire 
test oil adulterants do not evaporate like turpentine when put into a pigment 
and spread upon a surface. They strike into the wood or pierce the nether 
coat of pigment, causing, later on, the flaking and peeling of the pigment; 
or they retard the drying of colors; and again, they lend a peculiar rough- 
ness to the surface, like unto that imparted by benzine when used in a fine 
coach color. 

The carriage and wagon painter has substantial reasons for being inter- 
ested in coach japans, for upon their quality and judicious employment the 
durability of his work greatly depends. The many and beautiful colors which 
he uses almost daily are japan ground, and the pigments and colors shop- 
mixed are invariably fortified with the ever-useful coach japan. The wide 
variety of names applied to the drying materials used in the painting busi- 
ness has been the source of annoyance and confusion to the practical mind. 
In reality, however, there are but three kinds — coach japan, specially adapted 
for colors to be quickly dried and containing no oil; liquid drier (or dryer) 
intended for the drying of oil and oil paint; and patent driers purchased in 
paste form, effective only when used in conjunction with oil. The patent 
driers are so little used at present that they scarcely merit a notice. 

Coach japan, with the merits of which the carriage painter has a right 
to be concerned, being chiefly used, as before stated, in colors containing no 
oil require, for purposes of protection and as a service-insuring medium, 
blanketing under one or more coats of varnish. 

It is not to be understood that coach japan will not combine with and 
dry oil colors; its power in this capacity, however, is less than that of a 
liquid drier, while its gumni}^ nature shows a tendency to cause surface dis- 
turbances of the cracking and blistering order — most emphatically so when 
strictly exact proportions are not maintained. Its adaptability, therefore, is 
best confined to colors containing no oil. 

So much of uncertainty, so much that is injurious and fatal to the dur- 
ability of colors, is embraced in the employment of japan in excessive 
quantities or of an inferior grade that the painter should not be slow in de- 
termining, by practical tests, both strength and quality. And to make such 



PBACTICAL GABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 137 

tests easy, not to mention other convincing reasons, need we invoke the pur- 
chaser's attention to the importance of buying only standard makes? 

A first-class coach japan, as a rule, will show a color moderately light, 
and when mixed with oil should manifest no disposition to curdle, S«ch a 
japan, too, should, when floated in a thin film over a glass or other strictly 
non-porous surface, dry firm and without brittleness in four hours . To ob- 
serve how the japan, unites and assimilates with linseed oil, take a pane of 
window glass, that furnishing a surface non-porous and decidedly free from 
suction, and attaching a sheet of white paper on one side as a means of better 
showing the action of the oil and japan, drop on the reverse side of tho p;lass 
about four drops of raw linseed oil. Then affix, say, a single drop of japan 
in close proximity to the oil, immediately inclining the glass so that the 
japan may come in contact with the oil. If the drier promptly unites and 
takes kindly to a close relationship with the oil without curdling or showing 
other evidences of disagreement, it will merit the approval of the painter. 
Another easily -conducted test consists in comparing the japan of unknown 
quality with one of acknowledged merit, by taking the samples and con- 
fining them in bottles containing raw linseed oil, shaking the contents and 
then standing aside for at least twenty-four hours. The proportions of oil 
and japan may be in the ratio of 5 parts of oil to 1 part of japan, exactly the 
same proportions being adhered to in all the samples tested. At the expira- 
tion of twenty-four hours one can see which sample mixes best with the oil. 
The samples then poured in a thin film over a piece of glass and allowed to 
stand will determine the drying property of each. It will also be useful to 
learn by observation and comparisons if the japan holds well in solution, A 
japan that fails to do this is not valuable in carriage and wagon painting. 
Study should be made as to how and to what extent the japan efifects the 
light and delicate colors at present so extensively used. In point of fact, the 
painter should not weary in investigating the qualities and characteristics of 
his coach japans, and what they are capable of doing. To establish their 
real value will mark an achievement of the first order in the economy of 
painting. 

In regard to varnishes the buyer can find no excuse for putting aside the 
fact that quality and not price should determine the value of his supply; and, 
happily, he has it within his power in the active prosecution of his business 
to demonstrate the good or bad quality of varnish. It may frequently prove 
an expensive experiment; and herein is disclosed an apparently good and suf- 
ficient reason for the painter's disinclination to change from the use of one 
make of varnish to another. The varnishing stage of painting may be said 
to be in a critical period at all times, and having established the quality of 
his varnish supply, the responsible party in the matter is naturally opposed 
to changing in favor of a make with which he is not practically acquainted. 
At the same timfe, a practical test of different strictly reliable makes is the 
only way of deciding to one's own satisfaction which is the best, and the 



138 PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AKB WAGON PAINTING. 

most economical to buy. Any first-class finisher can very soon determine 
the working property, brilliancy, depth of lustre, drying quality, and gen- 
eral behavior under varying circumstances and conditions of different var- 
nishes. Nevertheless, that primary requisite, durability, is not so easily nor 
so promptly established. This essential quality can be determined only 
after protracted trials upon vehicles engaged in active service, the painter 
retaining carefully tabulated data bearing upon each make of varnish under 
observation, the character of the service to which it is exposed, etc. Thus, 
in due season, may the actual merits of a varnish be defined. 



CHAPTER XV. 

CUTTER AND SLEIGH PAINTING: DECORATIVE ASPECTS OF THE WORK— 
THE VARIOUS PROCESSES OF PAINTING EMPLOYED— THE PREVAIL- 
ING COLORS— STRIPING AND SCROLLING— REPAINTING, REVARNISH- 
ING, PROFITS TO BE REALIZED, ETC. 

CUTTER and sleigh painting are justly esteemed interesting parts of 
the art of vehicle painting. Coming at a time when the ordinary 
activities of vehicle painting are practically at a standstill, the cutter 
and sleigh painting business furnishes a medium for profits gleefully taken 
advantage of by the average factory and jobbing shop painter. 

In one way, it must be confessed, this branch of painting has fallen off 
in attractiveness. The elaborate decorative effects once so largely in the full 
favor of fashion have been discarded, and many workmen competent to ac- 
complish such effects have become lost in other pursuits. But in these days 
the painter should be prepared for any emergency; hence it is best that cutter 
and sleigh decorative work be given study, and skill to execute such work 
be kept in hand or acquired by practice. Now and then comes a call for a 
cutter or sleigh ornamented in the old-fashioned way with elaborate arm 
pieces, etc. The jobbing shop painter especially is very frequently confronted 
with opportunities for the practice of decorative painting in a variety of 
ways, and to fulfill his mission as an important community artisan he should 
be prepared to do the work. The very low prices paid for cutter and sleigh 
painting at the present time have proved an effective factor, no doubt, in 
considerably restricting the limitations of decorative painting. At the same 
time, there is every reason to believe that the conspicuous absence of fine 
decorative effects in cutter and sleigh painting is also due, to a large extent, 
to the inability of the average latter-day workman, located in provincial 
centres, to fittingly produce them. Upon the modern Portland style cutter 
elaborate ornamentation would perhaps be out of place; but upon many of 
the runner vehicles of ancient and honorable vintage, which the beauteous 
Belle of Fashion has decreed to be the proper thing, a generous measure of 
decorative work would be appropriate. Swell sleighs of more recent pattern 
take kindly to lavish ornamentation built upon rather delicate lines. 

These conditions, therefore, warrant the painter who deeply desires to 
command profits and success in cutter and sleigh painting, in cultivating a 
ready skill and dexterity along the lines of ornamental work. 

Surface perfections have grown to be important considerations in the 



140 



PE ACTIO AL CAB HI AGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




economy of sleigh painting of 
the best grade. While none 
but the very finest class of 
cutters and sleighs are given 
surfaces rivalling in smooth- 
ness and quality those reflect- 
ed by the best class of car- 
riages, still, first-class surfac- 
ing remains a chief feature of 
sleigh painting, excepting at 
all times the seven-for-$100 
vehicles. And in respect to 
this latter class of jobs, the 
results achieved in the way of 
surface effects are often sur- 
prising, due chiefly to the very 
heavy coats of varnish applied. 
FiGJ- 1- And here the reader may 

deem it pertinent to ask for a review of the systems and methods practiced 
in painting and finishing cutters and sleighs. 

In the painting of runner vehicles of the best order the jobs are primed 
throughout, bodies and running parts (and this includes inside of bodies, 
under surface — everything, in fact, not covered with iron), with oil and lead 
primer. Permitting this coat to dry thoroughly, a light sanding with, say 
'^o. ]4. sandpaper, is given, and then a coat of lead containing enough raw 
linseed oil to bind the pigment securely without giving it a gloss is put on. 
Use an oval or round bristle brush to apply the lead to the body, and for the 
running parts use a camel' s-hair brush, this latter tool being best adapted to 
lay a uniform depth of pigment over the sharp edges and small surfaces of 
the running parts. Upon this coat 
putty both body and running parts 
draw-puttying all open -grained por- 
tions of the surface. Forty - eight 
hours after puttying begin rough-stuff- 
ing the body, using for the 'stuff equal 
parts of any good American filler and 
keg lead, by weight, reducing to a 
thick paste in equal parts of quick 
rubbing varnish and japan, then cut- 
ting to a brushing consistency with 
turpentine. This is a two-coat-per-day 
'stuff. Apply four coats of the 'stuff, 

then a guide coat of yellow ochre and —-——-n^n^^B^H^BB^ 
set aside for a few days. After rub- P^iq, 2. 




PBACTICAL GABBIAOE ANB WAGON PAINTING. 



141 




Fig. 3. 



bing the surface out (full instructions for 
rubbing roughstuff may be found in Chap- 
ter III. of this series) give it plenty of 
time — twelve or fourteen hours at least — 
to dry out. Then lightly sandpaper with 
No. paper, dust off, and give first coat of 
color. 

The proper color foundation being se- 
cured, apply two coats of rubbing varnish, 
either both clear or one clear and one color- 
and- varnish, the character of the color 
foundation determining the selection, and 
then follow with a heavily flowed on coat 
of finishing varnish. In case color- and- varnish be used, the striping and 
ornamental work had best be done on this coat, as upon work of this 
quality the ornamentation will require the protection of a rubbing, as well 
as a finishing, coat of varnish. 

The running parts require sandpapering, then one coat of color-and-var- 
nish, then striping and finishing. This system, intended exclusively for 
high class work, requires a very thorough carrying out, with no neglected 
details from priming coat to finishing, if a satisfactory degree of excellence, 
both in finish and durability, would be maintained. 

Another system, in which roughstuff does not figure, consists of giving 
body and gear, when received from the wood shop, a coat of lead, ochre, and 
oil priming. When the irons are attached, the job is sandpapered and a 
coat of lead containing a durable binder of oil is given. The wood and iron 
are alike coated with this mixture. The panels of the body are next, in due 
season, plastered with putty (see Knifing Head Formula No. 1, in Chapter 
III.), the pigment being firmly forced into the grain of the wood. Aim to get 
a very smooth application of the pigment in addition to a complete fullness of 
the wood pores, to the end that the surface cells may be sealed ' 'against grain- 
ing out" and that the labor of sandpapering may be reduced to the minimum. 

The first coat of color is furnished with a binder of oil and should not be 
recoated until the day following. Add varnish as a binder for the second 





Pig. 4. 



142 PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

coat of color. A single coat of rubbing, and one of some hard drying finish- 
ing varnish often suffices to complete the finish. If a better job is desired an 
extra coat of rubbing is given. The striping, corner pieces, etc., are done on 
the flat color. The running parts are puttied on the priming coat, exposed 
parts of open grained surface draw^-puttied, sandpapered, given one coat qi 
color, coat of color-and- varnish, striped, and finished with a heavy bodied, 
hard drying finishing varnish. - Again, for me&ium priced sleigh work a 
factory system consists of applying some reliable liquid wood filler to the job 
throughout, then a little later wiping the surface over with soft, clean rags. 
The work is allowed twenty-four hours in which to dry out, when the body 
is given a coat of roughstuff mixed in the proportion of 3 lbs. of filler to 1 lb. 
of keg lead, equal parts of japan and rubbing varnish being used to reduce 
it to a heavy paste, and turpentine employed to cut it to the proper working 
consistency. Putty on this coat of 'stuff. Then apply, at the rate of two 
coats per day, a roughstuff made according to the first formula given here- 
with. Three coats of this stuff should suffice. Rub out with rubbing bricks, 
color and finish out as previously advised. The running parts are puttied 
upon the filler coat, draw puttied wherever needed, then colored, given color- 
and-varnish, striped and finished. 

In some shops the roughstuff is discarded altogether, the wood filler be- 
ing filled over with a couple of lead coats, the first coat containing an oil 
binder and the second one containing no oil at all. This lead foundation is 
surfaced down with sandpaper, dusted off, and a wash of quick hard drying 
rubbing varnish, thinned down about one-half with turpentine, given. The 
surface is then finished out in the usual way. The running parts are treated 
as described in the liquid wood filler process previously given. 

The anti-kalsomine system concerning which considerable discussion 
was had somewhat recently amounts to this: The jobs are primed through- 
out with oil, yellow ochre, and perhaps a little lead. The bodies are then 
taken in hand and all necessary puttying done. The anti-kalsomine, the 
fixer or binder of which is cement, is next mixed to a working consistency 

with hot water and applied hot. It is best to 
I allow the first coat of kalsomine to stand over 

j night before being recoated, although in the fac- 

tory system three or four coats of the cement, 
always applied hot, are put on per day. Then a 
liquid mixture of oil, japan, and turpentine, in 
the proportion of two parts of oil to three parts of 
japan, and one part of turpentine, is flowed over 
the kalsomine foundation. This liquid wash 
serves to weld or amalgamate the cement with 
the priming coat. The sandpapering of these 
— anti-kalsomine foundations is one of the principal 
Pig. 5. . draw-backs to the use of the cement. It sets in 

/ 




PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



143 



motion flotillas of dust, stifling and sufibcating to an extreme. It has been 
noted, however, that this anti-kalsomine treatment has furnished some fine 
wearing and very durable surfaces. 

The carriage painter in practicing his trade as it applies exclusively to 
carriages is confined to a comparatively few colors, but in devoting his 
skill to cutter and sleigh work an extended variety of colors may be used. 
Artistic instincts are in good demand in the cutter and sleigh painting bus- 
iness. Possibilities for the harmonious combination of colors exist here to 
an extent not known of in the other branches of painting. Colors sombre 
and gay; emblematic of this, that, or the other thing; old-fashioned as the 
days of witch burning or as modern and up-to-date as the '97 color grinder 
can make them, are all alike acceptable in the sight of the people who love a 
sleigh ride. Some painters have a great liking for siennas and umbers as 
body colors for sleigh work. Toned down some they do gleam very showily 
under varnish. Such colors striped with aluminum or gold and edged with 
a fine line of red give a strikingly handsome effect, especially if the running 
parts are painted in some one of the beautiful light reds at present 




Fig. 6. 

available; or a lighter shade of the body color can be advantageously em- 
ployed upon the running parts. Perhaps the lighter styles of cutters, 
speeding cutters, for example, take more kindly to the light and showy reds 
as running-parts colors than do the vehicles of heavier build, but 'all styles, 
nevertheless, permit of brilliant color effects in the treatment of running 
parts. For a light track or speeding cutter, color the side and back panels 
medium ultramarine blue; the dash, carmine; running parts, a very light 
carmine. Stripe the panels, j{ inch line of gold with a fine line of carmine. 
The dash and running parts may be displayed with striping of black and 
gold. Portland cutters for ordinary service show handsomely with the body 
panels done in ultramarine blue, moldings blacked, with the running parts 
done in the lightest shades of the ultramarine blue, the job- then striped 
throughout with a primrose yellow stripe. Or again, these cutters are 
painted deep carmine throughout the body, with light carmine run- 
ning parts. The striping on body consists of }i inch line of 
black, and ^ inch inside of that is flashed a fine gold line. A 
Portland amber color for the body, with a lighter shade of the 
same color for the running-parts, looks fetching, notably so when 



U4 PRACTICAL CAEBIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 

the body panels are striped with double lines of carmine, the orna- 
mental corner pieces being done in carmine of a lighter shade. The running 
parts may get a single }i inch line of carmine. Then one can see in the 
cutter and sleigh centres Portlands done in ashen-grey, canary and lemon 
yellow, etc. 

One of the largest cutter and sleigh factories in this country has this 
year abandoned the double fine line style of striping so greatly in evidence 
for several years past, using instead, as a rule, a ^-inch carmine stripe — ob- 
tained by glazing carmine over a yellow base — with a distance fine line of 
gold running inside of it. At this establishment one can see a jaunty Port- 
land painted pure white, with the body striped a ^-inch blue line with a 
distance fine line of red. Here also are to be seen beautiful amber browns, 
charming greens, elegant yellows of the primrose, orange, canary order and 
extending down to the delicate cream colors. But, on the whole, those cutter 
and sleigh builders and painters who cater to the worshipers at Fashion's 
shrine show a determination to adhere to the dark rich colors, such as 
browns, greens, and blacks, for panel work. Cutters with running parts 
painted in colors different from those used upon the bodies are not so much 
in evidence as formerly. Where the dark colors promise to remain in high 
favor with a large class of the very exclusive folk for some years to come, no 
strict adherence to such colors ma}^ be expected on the part of the general 
cutter-and-sleigh-using public. 

STRIPING, CORNER PIECES, SCROLLS, ETC. 

In the striping of cutters and sleighs the real basis of success is a judi- 
cious selection of colors. It has been a common saying in factory circles that 
anything in the way of colors, hit or miss, goes in sleigh painting when the 
ornamenting is reached. But this should not be so; in point of fact, it is not 
so in those establishments doing a good class of work. A riotous jumble of 
colors thrown into a fine line corner piece or scroll is an abominable exhibi- 
tion of bad taste. There is nothing, we dare say, that so completely stamps 
the cheap cutter or sleigh with a glaring badge of cheapness as the ornament 
constructed from an inharmonious selection of colors and dotted to beat a 
Baxter St. vest lining. The dotter has no business striping or ornamenting 
the modern cutter or sleigh. The ornamental features of sleigh work need to 
be of a very high order of excellence. Otherwise it fails to correspond to the 
quality of finish which now obtains in all first-class establishments where 
sleigh work is carried on. In this connection the reader's attention is directed 
to examples of fine line ornaments adapted to Portland cutters and sleighs; 
also to examples of the bold, handsome relief scrolls once so extensively 
used, and which show so beautifully upon cutters and sleighs of the swell 
body pattern. 

Ornaments Nos. 1, 2, and 3 are quick pencil sketches for panel corners. 
The writer contributed these pieces to Tke Hub some time ago and their 

/ 



PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. ' 145 

reproduction must be credited to the courtesy of that journal. No. 4 is used 
upon the dashes of Portland cutters, speeding sleighs, etc. Two distinct 
corner pieces are shown in this design, thus illustrating the possibilities of 
variation in respect to the corner designs employed. No. 5. is a corner piece 
designed for Old Comfort and Empress cutters. This piece may be done in 
three or four shades of red, or it may be placed in gold and high lighted in 
relief style. In No. 6 is to be seen a very attractive design for the dash or 
rear panel of a large four or six passenger sleigh. No. 7 is expressly in- 




FlG. 7. 

tended for swell body cutters and represents an ornament familiar to many 
old-time painters. It is a decidedly effective scroll and will afford the student 
in scroll work a good working plan for further effort. Nos. 8 and 9 explain 
the style of the good-old fashioned scrolls which, when ably executed, may 
be declared the poetry of ornament. Vehicle painting lost one of its chief 
charms when the relief scroll was abandoned, and we say speed the day when 
it is welcomed back to its old time uses and prestige. Then fortunate indeed 
will be the painter who is able to do relief scrolling. 




Fig. 8. 

Transfer ornaments of the small patterns are still used and they really 
furnish happy little surface beautifiers at small cost. One can quickly master 
the work of successfully applying transfers or "Decalcomanie," as our friends 
of the geenteel speech may say. Cut the transfer down close to its true out- 
lines, and then to the back of the ornament apply a size of finishing varnish 
and japan gold size. When this has reached the right "tack," it is placed 
in position on the surface. It is then given a few minutes to fasten itself se- 
curely upon the surface, after which it is washed over with clean water until 



146 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AKB WAGON PAINTING. 

the covering over the face of the transfer is sufficiently moistened to free 
itself, when lo! the ornament in all its freshness and coloring of raiment is 
revealed. The washing of the transfer is something of a delicate operation 
as it is a perfectly easy matter to disfigure the ornament or flood it out of 
position by careless practices. 

REPAINTING CUTTERS AND SLEIGHS, REVARNISHING, ETC. 

Cutters and sleighs for repainting, revarnishing and brightening up gen- 
erally should be got into the paint shop as soon as possible after the carriage 
work declines in the late fall. This enables the painter to avoid the rush 
which is sure to be upon him with the firsf'run of sleighing." It also enables 
him to do more satisfactory work in several ways. The work taken in early 
has a measure of time given it while being carried through the several pro- 
cesses not accorded that received late in the season. Varnish coats given 
proper time to dry not only surface up better but wear and retain their bril- 
liancy longer, and do not fire crack when run out in the cold. Upon the 
average class of cutters and sleighs a less expensive varnish, as compared to 
that used upon first-class carriages, will serve all necessary purposes. Ex- 
pensive finishing varnishes are not needed. Cutters and sleighs are not 




Fig. 9. 
exposed to the severe and destructive forms of service that wheeled vehicles 
are, consequently they do not require highly elastic finishing varnishes to 
furnish the needed durability. They are in service for only a comparatively 
small part of the year, and mud spotting and troubles of that order do not 
intrude themselves. Save in the case of the highest-class sleigh work, a first- 
class gear finishing varnish will furnish satisfactory results for finishing cut- 
ter and sleigh bodies. A heavy gear varnish will answer perfectly for the 
running parts. But in this selection of varnishes choice should always fall 
upon those of first-class quality. Whatever the grade, get the best in quality 
of that grade. First-class paint and varnish stock is more handily worked 
and will cover more surface than inferior stock, and judged from any point of 
view one may elect it is the most economical material to buy. 

When a cuuter or sleigh comes in for a thorough repainting, examine 
the vehicle closely and if the body can be removed without too large an 
expenditure of labor, removal should be insisted upon. There is usually 
considerable dirt under the edges of a cutter body that cannot be cleaned out 
except the body be taken off. And a little of this dirt caught up in the paint 
or varnish brush worketh evil to the whole job. Moreover, the brushes 

/ 



PRACTICAL CARTtlAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 147 

brought in contact with sucli accumulations of dirt are unfitted to produce 
pleasing results in the immediate future. The touch-up-and-varnish sleigh 
job is, in the main, a troublesome affair, especially the running parts. The 
merry and pretty colors which chiefly obtain on sleigh running parts painted 
in former years are not so easily matched as the colors used upon the bodies. 
In point of fact, it doesn't pay to devote much time in trying for a match. 
Instead, mix a color to about the shade of the old color and go over the run- 
ning parts entire. Then restripeand finish, and in the great majority of cases 
money will be saved thereby. In rubbing cutter or sleigh work furnished 
with heavy moldings out of varnish, use, for surfacing such moldings, any 
varnish brush of a small pattern worn to a stub. Cutting through on the 
edges of the moldings is nicely avoided in this way. For the large panels on 
sleigh work a 3-inch finishing brush will serve as the best tool. It carries a 
greater quantity of varnish and enables the finisher to coat the surface 
quicker than he could do with the smaller brush. In finishing the quick and 
adroit placing of the varnish is an item of chief importance. 

During the sleigh season there usually drifts into the jobbing paint shop 
a lot of not very particular work. As for example, heavy work, sleighs, 
bobs, etc. Upon such work there may be used the accumulated odds and 
ends of colors of various shades, hues, and tints, left over from doing sleigh 
work of a better class and from carriage work. Some very neat combina- 
tions may be effected by the judicious employment of these left-over bits of 
color, and it helps to slick up and put into profitable use certain materials 
which otherwise might eventually find their way into that quagmire of the 
paint shop — the slush keg. Briefly stated, cutter and sleigh painting opens 
the way for the employment of considerable material which cannot be termed 
strictly "available" in the other branches of painting; it comes at a time 
when the painter is better able to appreciate a lean loaf than a fat icicle; and 
if conducted according to business-like and workman-like practices it will 
supply a handsome source of profits. 



CliAPTER XVI. 

LEAVES FROM THE PAINT SHOP DIARY— PERTINENT POINTS ON PRAC- 
TICAL MATTERS— BLENDING OF COLORS— SPONTANEOUS COMBUS- 
TION—PAINTING IN SILVER BRONZE — THE FRENCH PAINTERS' VAR- 
NISH ROOM — REMEDY FOR RUSTED CARRIAGE SPRINGS — PAINTING 
METALLIC SURFACES— THINNING VARNISH— ETC. 

AT best the carriage painter's existence is somewhat hazardous, his 
every-day scene of toil being well laden with poisonous fumes and 
fetid exhalations. In the painting of a hearse, ambulance, or "dead 
wagon" the precaution of disinfecting the vehicle most thoroughly should 
be taken. Carbolic acid, carbonate of lime, or, if one prefers, numerous 
ready prepared disinfectants of penetrating composition may be used gener- 
ously. Prudence dictates the policy of refusing to take any chances when 
working in and about a vehicle possibly afflicted with the germs of some 
deadly contagious disease. 

It is not always an easy matter to clean the glasses in heavy coach work 
unless special methods are practiced. Here is a quick way of cleaning be- 
smeared glasses of the kind named. Saturate a soft sponge with wood al- 
cohol and wipe over both sides of the glass. If perchance varnish or paint 
accumulations are in evidence the alcohol softens them and a quick run- 
around with a keen-edged putty knife removes them. If a careless or incom- 
petent workman has badly bedaubed a glass, coat the daubs with oxalic acid. 
The action of this powerful liquid will very briefly soften up the accumula- 
tions so that the putty knife will nicely slick them off. Then give a rub over 
with an alcohol-charged sponge, this to be immediately followed by a smart 
polish with the chamois skin. If a still better polish is desired, take a news- 
paper, roll it into a shape that will permit rubbing the glass without 
bringing the fingers in contact with the surface, and then dipping the paper 
into dry lampblack proceed to burnish both sides of the glass. 

The blending of colors has lately become an important feature of the 
carriage painter's art. This was at one time considered purely a matter of 
business belonging to the artist, but it is not now so regarded. Artistic, and 
therefore harmonious, color blending consists in preserving the individuality 
of each color employed, while at the same time there is an almost unconscious 
merging of one color into another. No distinctive lines are allowed to dis- 
turb the harmony of the work. The carriage color blender, like his brother 
artist of the pallette and three-story studio, aims to obtain a thorough incor- 



PRACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 149 

poration of all the different shades of color employed upon a certain piece of 
work so that the blending from light to dark may be made without resorting 
to any glaring contrasts. The blending is accomplished while the colors are 
wet, the ground being laid first in the lighter colors, then working in the 
darker shades until the darkest desired shade is reached. Great care is nec- 
essarily expended upon the tools, etc. A color-clogged brush need not be 
expected to do good blending service. No arbitrary rules can be given within 
which to confine the work of blending— it is too closely allied to art for that. 
Supremely necessary aids to success in this field of work consist of plenty of 
practice taken in connection with intelligent study of outline, harmony, and 
contrasts. 

If it is desirable to varnish a job of gilding the same day the leaf is laid, 
and it is feared that the leaf will brush mark, it is a good plan to give the 
gold a light coat of thin shellac, going over the work very quickly. The 
shellac will protect the leaf without in any way harming it. 

One hears a good deal concerning spontaneous combustion. The craft 
would be less familiar with the term if the following rule, rigidly enforced in 
some shops, were lived up to in letter and spirit: Greasy rags must be burned 
tip imviediately , and not, iinder any consideration, allozved to remain in the 
shop one moment after their iise is finished. Any violation of this order will re- 
sult in immediate dismissal. 

The following method of filling in a badly cracked carriage surface has 
successfully been practiced by a friend of the writer's. The surface is first 
cleaned and given a light sandpapering to strike off dirt, motes, etc. Then 
dust off and apply a coat of gold-size japan, a free, generous coat of the japan 
being used. Once dry, the coat is gone over with a roll of rubbing felt to 
kill the gloss. The gold-size japan reaches into the minute orifices more ef- 
fectively than varnish, filling and sealing the fissures, and in addition it fur- 
nishes an easily and quickly prepared surface for the color and the varnish 
coats to follow. 

You wish to repair a split panel. At each extremit};' of the split bore a 
X inch hole. Put one hole just at the crack, the second one fairly clear of 
it. Next plug the holes up, and then dresis off even with the surface of the 
panel. Now cut a shallow bevel along each side of the crack; this to enable 
the putty to resist the cracking tendency of the crevice. Then give 
the dressed off parts a coat of lead containing a good binder of oil. When this 
has dried putty the hollow level and fill with a putty made of Y\ dry white 
lead and ^ keg lead, the liquids being rubbing varnish and japan, equal 
parts. Sandpaper this repair in due time, and then give the final puttying, 
which should be done to the full measure of the best possible skill. 

An effective little advertising card was once circulated by a keen-minded 
California carriage painter, and on the back of the card were appended the 
following wise admonitions to the carriage user. The suggestions are quite 
as pertinent now as they were at the time thej'- were first given publicity. To 



150 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXJ) WAGON PAINTING. 

insure durability of the painting you must care for the work as follows, viz : 

"Don't expose to the fumes of ammonia. 

Don't let mud dry on it. 

Don't scratch the varnish in washing. 

Don't expose to the sun or rain when not in use. 

Don't let the axle-grease collect on the hubs. 

Don't blame me if you are careless, as I have given you warning." 

A man is well dressed only when every part of his apparel meets the 
approval of the critic. This same estimate also applies to carriage painting — 
that is to genteel carriage painting. Hence why send the top joints on a car- 
riage top out roughly and incompletely finished? The critical eye rests very 
quickly upon such conspicuous parts of a vehicle, and if they are not fittingly 
finished the seal of condemnation is set upon the work as a whole. Here 
is a finish for top joints that will disarm the fault finder: First coat up with 
stout coat of lead containing sufficient oil to bind the lead securely. Then 
mix two parts dry white lead, one part roughstuff filler, to a rather stiff paste 
in equal parts of japan and rubbing varnish. Rub this mixture onto the 
joints with a piece of heavy harness leather. When dry, give the pigment a 
thorough smoothing up with sandpaper, color, color-and-varnish, rub with 
water and pumice stone, and then finish with a hard drying finishing var- 
nish. 

To paint a carriage gear in silver bronze, which one is now and then 
asked to do, bring the work up to the point of the foundation color for the 
bronze very carefully, using no lampblack in the priming and first lead coats 
to throw them to a slate color. The foundation coat should be pure white, 
mixed to dry without gloss and applied with acamel's-hair brush. Over this 
coat flow on a coat of rubbing varnish, and when the right "tack" is reached 
apply the bronze with a soft, clean camel's-hair brush. The wiping off and 
the delicate burnish may be given with a soft piece of chamois skin. Stripe 
with some color that harmonizes nicely with the bronze, and use no varnish 
over it. Varnish destroys the richness of the bronze. 

Why use a broad pencil in glazing double line stripes? The existing 
space between the stripes, when the glazing is done with a broad pencil, re- 
flects a clouded, muddy appearance. Better glaze each line separately, using 
a sword pencil for glazing with, and thus obtain the best color effects along 
with a fine, dressy outline of striping. 

If a carriage top from which the enamel has nearly or quite vanished is 
desired to be made bright again the following recipe, published by the writer 
in Paifi^mg ajid Decora^m^' some time since, will give satisfaction: Mix 2 
parts of liquid glue with 3 parts of dissolved castile soap, adding 120 parts 
of soft water, to more thoroughly liquify the glue and soap. Then add 4 
parts of spirit varnish, after which stir in 2 parts of wheat starch, previously 
mixed in water. Follow with just enough lampblack to give the mixture a 
solidly black tinge. A trifle too much of the lampblack will kill the gloss. 

/ 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGOX PAINTING. 151 

The dressing is now ready for use. It should be kept in an air-tight vessel 
to prevent thickening. 

A green stripe is strikingly enriched by glazing with verdigris, but this 
glaze should be varnished over as soon as dry, or, at any rate, before moist- 
ure settles upon the work; otherwise the verdigris will lose its quality. 

It's a very simple operation to sweep a varnish or paint-room floor, but 
some ways are better than others, nevertheless. Try this way for a change 
and thereby establish its utility: Take a pail of sawdust, dampen it thor- 
oughly, and then throw a windrow of the woody bits across one side of the 
room. Sweep across to the other side of the apartment, and then observe 
how spick and clean the floor will be, with no moisture remaining to annoy 
the painter or varnisher. 

The blow-pipe should be more in evidence in the carriage paint shop. 
The tinsmith will charge but a small fee for making the pipe, which may be 
1^ ft. long and tapering from j4 inch at one end to l{ inch at the other. 
Dust and dirt that cannot be removed with a duster is simply given a cyclone 
breath through the tube, and, presto! the parts are clean. With the blow- 
pipe water can be driven out of evasive corners when cleaning up a job pre- 
paratory to varnishing. 

Despite the best laid plans of the painter carriage linings occasionally 
get some glaring smears of pigment. If the linings so defaced be of light 
color, dampen with naphtha or gasoline, and then with a clean woolen cloth 
rub the goods briskly. This same treatment may be given to dark colored 
cloth upon which the paint spots have dried. If the spots are observed while 
the paint is still wet, rub them smartly with pieces of the same kind of cloth 
of which the lining is composed. The cloth to cloth treatment is a most ef- 
fective and eas}^ treatment. 

The business wagon painter has many moldings and battens to black, 
aiKl he greatly needs a good, pleasant handling pencil with which to do the 
work. A pretty working pencil for doing the parts here named is made in 
this wise: Take some hair from a camel's-hair pencil and mix with it ys 
black sable hair. Prepare a handle as though you were to make a sword 
pencil, splitting it at the base, etc. Then, after arranging the hair to the 
right width and thickness, insert the butt end of the bunch in the split. 
Wind tightly with strong linen thread. Use on the flat side of the pencil 
instead of the edge. 

An imitation-of-ebony job comes within the province of the painter's 
skill now and then. First of all, the wood should be close, fine-grained stuff. 
Wash it with a decoction of logwood three or four times, allowing the liquid 
to dry well between applications. Next wash with a solution of acetate of 
iron. This gives a deep, intensely black color. 

For the filling of an unusually deep surface cavity prepare a pigment 
after this formula: One part keg lead; 2 parts whiting. Mix to a stiff paste in 
equal parts of thick varnish bottoms and raw linseed oil. Add a small 



152 PEACTICAL GARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

quantity of japan to insure reliable drying. Then to this mass mix in 
enough dry white lead to cause the putty to work nicely from the hand. 
Apply very smooth so as to avoid sandpapering. 

One of the secrets of the French coach painter's success as a fine var- 
nisher and finisher was revealed b3^ W. H. Knight's report on the Paris Ex- 
position. Referring to tha varnish room, Mr. Knight wrote: The door is 
locked, and no one is admitted under any circumstances — not even the pro- 
prietor. The doors and windows are air-tight, so that not a particle of dust 
can find entrance. And yet the room is ventilated, but how? By means of 
tubes filled with a mixture of horsehair and wool. This permits the air to 
enter freely, but deprives it of all dust, consequently the finish of their work 
is perfect and exquisite. 

All surfaces painted with lake colors should be amply protected by sub- 
v=tantial varnish coats. Neither the lake coats nor the foundations over which 
they are laid should be allowed to dry "dead." Give the ground coats a bit 
of gloss and ahvays use the lakes as color- and- varnish coats. Also, ahvays 
refrain from buying a cheap, inferior lake, the chief constituents of which are 
whiting and aniline dye. Water dissolves the aniline; hence with water as an 
aid the painter can determine the quality, in a measure at least, of the lake 
colors. To the surface painted in a lake color, apply, before coating with 
varnish, a generous smear of water. If the aniline speedily disappears, leav- 
ing the colorless whiting base, the purchaser has just cause to question the 
quality of the material. 

A varnish sag upon a surface doesn't always admit of easy removal. It 
can be done, however, and that very quickly and smoothly in a majority of 
cases. Get a stocky bunch of curled hair, wet it up thoroughly, give it a 
liberal dip in pulverized pumice stone, and then rub the afflicted surface 
carefully. Finish with a uniform polish furnished by the regular varnish 
surfacing equipment. 

Carriage and wagon interiors, running parts, etc., finished in the nat- 
ural wood, that have become stained in spots so as to be an offense to the 
eye, may be satisfactorily renewed by smearing the stains with oxalic acid. 
Apply the acid with a brush, permit it to act upon the stains for a few min- 
utes, then with a small sponge wash off with clean, soft water. The steel 
scraper, handily wielded, will then remove all remaining evidences of the 
stains. All metallic surfaces may be perfectly cleaned with this acid. 

The question of carriage springs rusting is a live one with the carriage 
painter. The spring maker, or rather the first-class manufacturer of springs, 
avers that the spring product well ground and finished is not at all liable to 
rust or prematurel)' throw off its protecting coats of paint and varnish. The 
carriage painter, however, is compelled to paint and dress up all sorts and 
conditions of springs. The badly rusted and scaly springs ma}- be thoroughly 
cleaned, using a file and hammer for the purpose, and the spring layers be- 
ing separated one from another. Then coat with graphite paint or mineral 

/ 



PBACTICAL CARBIAGE AKD WAGON FAINTING. 153 

brown, and in due time finish up in the usual way. Again, the inner surface 
of the spring leaves is coated with a lead and lampblack mixture, and later 
given a glazing of equal parts of unsalted beef and mutton tallow. A third 
formula, widely known as The Hub formula, because it is said to have origi- 
nated with that journal, has proven of value. It is as follows: "Remove the 
securing bolts; place the springs thus released from tension in a bath of soft 
water over night. In the morning, with a stilf bristle or helix brush, in 
water at 100° degrees, scour tiie plates efifectually, and remove the oxide by 
means of an ample use of elbow grease. Dry by sunlight or artificial heat 
in hardwood sawdust. I^et lie in warm sawdust, at 75° or 80° for from two to 
three hours; then give a thin coat of clear, boiled linseed oil, and when thor- 
oughly dry (an exposure of twelve or more hours is necessary), coat over by 
means of a sponge with a mixture of 6 parts of commercial beeswax, sus- 
pended at 90°, with 2 parts of spirits of turpentine. One hour after applica- 
tion v/ipe off edges of all plates; then allow one hour for hardening and 
secure the plate with centre bolt." 

The carriage painter frequently has sign writing to do on glass and he 
requires a reliable size to enable him to get first-class leafing. Russian isin- 
glass makes the best size, although it is often difficult to obtain from local 
merchants. To a pint of soft water add a piece of the isinglass Y^ in. square 
and boil until the material is wholly dissolved. Then add a drop or two of 
alcohol, strain, and the size is ready for use. Gelatine, while largely used, 
should be used the day it is prepared as a size, otherwise it is not reliable in 
its action. Put a few shreds of the gelatine in a quart of water and boil 
until the water is reduced to a pint. 

Vermilion is one of the highly-prized carriage painting pigments, and the 
best is none too good to meet the requirements of good work. To test the 
color, heat a small quantity in a porcelain vessel over an alcohol lamp. The 
adulterated vermilion, in burning, will leave a sediment either red, black, or 
perhaps white. The genuine quicksilver vermilion invariably proves fugi- 
tive when submitted to intense heat. 

The refuse oil of pine or coal tar is a useful oil to keep upon the paint 
shop shelves. Suppose a borrowed brush or a brush neglected in some way 
about the shop is found dried up — hardened to a stone-like condition. Take 
a quantity of the pine or coal tar oil from its air-tight receptacle, where it 
should be kept to prevent evaporation, and in the liquid suspend the injured 
brush well up over the bristles. Three or four days' immersion will usually 
soften up a very much abused brush. 

All colors that are apparently changed in purity of color when even the 
palest of varnishes are used over them, should have a little of the color used 
in each varnish coat up to the finishing coat of varnish. If striping or orna- 
menting is used do this work upon the last rubbing coat and then finish with 
the very palest varnish obtainable. 

Bear in mind this fact, namely: Colors are divided into three cardinal 



154 PBACTICAL CAREIAGE AKB WAGON PAINTING. 

degrees — light, medium, and dark. And the relative position of the base 
color governs the intermediate shades. In the mixing and use of colors it is 
also a wise policy to provide for the self- asserting property of the strongest 
or controlling color. If this is not done the distinctive character of the color 
sought for will not for long be retained. 

A prime factor in finishing a carriage in natural wood consists in fir«t 
thoroughly cleaning the wood and then keeping it clean. All stains and dis- 
colorations of the wood should be sandpapered out or scraped off with steel 
scraper and a piece of glass. Then a careful, uniform sandpapering should 
be given. Dust off and apply a coat of raw linseed oil. This oil coat re- 
quires a clean, smooth rubbing out — as clean and smooth as a coat of paint. 
Give this oil coat from 24 to 36 hours to dry and harden completely. Sand- 
paper lightly, dust off, and give the surface a coating of some reliable, first- 
class, wood filler. As soon as the filler takes on a sufficient "tack," rub 
across the grain of the wood with soft, clean rags until the surface is free 
from any surplus filler. If, after the application of the filler, the cells of the 
wood remain unfilled or defectively sealed, a second coat of the filler will be 
necessary. Once the filler has dried, mix a putty colored to match the nat- 
ural color of the wood, and putty nail and screw holes and other cavities. 
This puttying should be done so smoothly as to necessitate little or no sand- 
papering for the purpose^of leveling the putty spots. The whole surface may 
now in due time be lightly gone over with No. paper. Next dust off and 
apply a coat of pale rubbing varnish. The striping is best done on this coat. 
Then give second coat of rubbing, surfacing this coat, when dry, with pul- 
verized pumice stone and water, clean up most thoroughly, and finish with a 
very pale durable finishing varnish. 

The painting of one of these natural-wood-finished jobs often presents a 
formidable problem. What is the best method to pursue? That cannot be 
answered decisively; but a reliable method is appended. First scrape and 
sandpaper the old varnish clean and sleek to the wood. If the wood is in 
good shape and not weather-beaten, apply a coat of lead containing no more 
oil than is carried in the keg lead as it comes from the dealer, the pigment 
being simply thinned with turpentine and given a drying agent in the shape 
of a teaspoonful of coach japan, to, say, each pint of the mixture. If the 
varnish has perished, and the wood is injured thereby, it is advisable to give 
the lead a little extra dash of oil, but not enough to cause the lead to dry 
with a gloss. Testing the lead on the finger nail will determine the question 
of gloss. When dry this coating of lead should receive a careful sandpaper- 
ing, and a second coat of lead mixed to dry "dead," and laid with a camel's- 
hair brush, may go on. Too much oil should be especially avoided in building 
the lead foundation over these natural wood surfaces, as it must be borne in 
mind that the grain of the wood has been already sealed with a hard, non- 
absorbent material into which the usual first coat percentage of oil does not 
penetrate. On this second coat of lead all needed puttying is done. The 



PBACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 155 

sandpapering which follows should be very perfect and skillfull}^ done. Body 
surfaces may next receive the needed roughstuff coating up, to be subse- 
quently rubbed out and carried through to a finish in the ordinary way. The 
running parts from this lead coat foundation are colored and finished accord- 
ing to the accepted practice. 

Once upon a time, my lamented friend, A, F. Manchester, in the col- 
umns of Varnish, asked this pertinent question: "Do you have trouble 
with your fine colors clouding Up and losing their brilliancy from the var- 
nish?" Replying to the query, he suggested this plan, to the efficacy of 
which the writer is glad to subscribe: "On any transparent color (or any 
color, in fact) always add som^e of the color to each coat of rubbing varnish 
— enough to kill the amber tint of the varnish. This preserves the colors in 
all their original brilliancy. Of course, this plan necessitates striping and 
ornamenting on the last coat of rubbing, but that is just as well as burying 
all the tone of the colors under the varnish. Then, again, it obliges the cus- 
tomer to have the job revarnished when he ought." 

It is not a praiseworthy practice to putty a carriage body after it is 
rubbed out of roughstuff , or after the first coat of color is on. The puttying 
should be attended to when the job is being roughstuffed — and before. All 
places overlooked at the first puttying should be attended to carefully iipon 
the first coat of roughstuff. Puttying upon a roughstuffed rubbed panel 
leads to premature surface blemishes of a most unhappy order. 

Certain of the yellows are rather difficult to work nicely when used as 
striping colors for dagger or sword pencils. Notably so is chrome yellow, 
which, by the way, is a pretty founda^^ion for glazing with carmine. Such 
colors may be remedied by adding a bit of some body color which will give 
them a stronger covering property without harmfully changing the purity 
of the yellow. 

The subject of varnish rooms is an entertaining one. So many poor 
varnish rooms exist that any plan to make them better, so long as it be a 
feasible plan, merits attention. Mr. F. J. Flowers, a;n old-time carriage man 
and an earnest advocate of the first-class varnish room, some time ago gave 
his idea of such an apartment in these words: "First, it should not be on the 
top floor of a building where it gets all the gases and fumes from the smith 
and paint shops. It should be round in form, with a dome roof, ventilated 
and well lighted therefrom; and each light of glass should be as colorless as 
possible, and arranged so as to prevent the direct rays of the sun. Itsceiling 
should be all wood, stained light blue with water colors; the floor should be 
waxed or oiled; the room, when in use, should be kept at an even temper- 
ature (not less than 65°), and all dampness should be avoided. You ask, why 
round? I answer, all evaporations form in circles when ascending; the room 
having no corners, there is no back draught to obstruct them. Why lighted 
from the roof? There will be no cross-lights, hence no conflicting light. Why 
ceiled with wood? It is dryer than plaster and will absorb the evaporations 



156 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

when not coated with oil paint. Why color blue? It is the spring light, and 
gives the purest reflection. Why an even temperature? It will prevent the 
condensing of the vapor, and thereby prevent it from falling back upon the 
varnish, which gives it that bloomy, silky, and pitted look which we hear 
so much about." 

Upon heavy vehicle work, such as broughams, landaus, etc. , the inside 
surface of glass frames, pillars," door checks, and the like, quite commonly 
go with a polish finish, as it does away with sticking doors, defaced pillars, 
and glaring glass frames. The contrast between the polished parts and those 
reflecting a high brilliancy of finish is soft and pleasing and a grateful relief 
to the eye. The parts referred to, having been brought up to a solid founda- 
tion of rubbing varnish, are given a thorough surfacing with pumice stone 
flour and water. Next rub with sweet oil and rotten stone, using a soft 
woolen cloth for the polisher. Conclude the operation by rubbing wheat 
flour under a clean bit of woolen until the friction generated makes a gloss. 
The flour, in addition to its other oflice, will absorb and clean up the oil. 

A very quick drying striping color is frequently demanded — one that 
can be varnished over in an hour after application, or sooner. Mix the pig- 
ment in equal parts of rubbing varnish and coach japan. Then thin to the 
proper working consistency with turpentine. 

In painting over metallic surfaces, which the carriage and wagon painter 
frequently finds it necessary to do, it is essential to first know that such sur- 
faces are thoroughly clean and free from acids, grease, etc. Give them a rub 
over with kerosene or benzine, and then wash with soap and water, conclud- 
ing with a generous rinsing off with clean water. If the surface is too 
heavily saturated with paint injuring accumulations, give it a wash with 
water containing sal soda in the proportion of, say, }4 to ^ lb. of the soda 
to 5 or 6 quarts of water. A rinsing with clean water will now afford a clean 
surface over which to paint. The metallic surface being clean, it remains 
for the painter to give it a hard, solid surfacing with No. 1^ sandpaper, in 
order to develop the necessary minute furrows and scratches to give the pig- 
ment a "bite" or a chance to grip fast. Instead of sandpapering, the prac- 
tice holds good in some shops of rubbing the surface with a fire brick as a 
means of trenching and channeling it to the required extent. 

The vehicle painter located in the small shop and not usually using a 
very considerable quantity of varnish daily, should buy his supply of this 
material in small cans — pints and quarts for example. Once a can is opened, 
the varnish, through repeated exposure to the air, quickly begins to grow 
fatty, and after a time the loss of the turpentine leaves it in an unfit condi- 
tion to work satisfactorily over a fine surface. A rubber stopper is the best 
kind of a varnish can stopper, because it does not crumble and break into 
bits like the cork, and it is the closest possible approach to an air-tight 
device. 

The painter has but small use for the varnish that has to be thinned with 

/ 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 157 

turpentine in order to give it the proper spreading and flowing property. 
The elements of durability and brillancy of lustre are in great danger of 
being greatly impaired, if not quite wholly destroyed, when shop thinning 
of varnishes is practiced. To attempt to successfully cut the solidity of var- 
nish with turpentine added in hit or miss fashion constitutes a direct injury 
to this manifestly sensitive and delicate material. Thinning varnish should 
be resorted to only when an extremely critical emergency presents itself. 

To provide a tight, dust-and-smoke-proof floor for the varnish room, 
proceed in this wise: Cut strips of stout wrapping paper to the proper 
length to fit lengthwise of the floor. Coat one side of the paper with trim- 
mer's paste, and then lay the strips on smooth and free from wrinkles. Allow 
the second strip to overlap the first one fully 2 inches. Continue overlap- 
ping until the floor is covered. When the first layer or covering has laid 
long enough to provide for the complete drying of the paste, lay a second 
course of the paper in the same manner, and in due time, if necessar}^ apply 
a third course. Then apply a coat of yellow ochre paint, mixed oil and tur- 
pentine, in the proportion of }( oil to ^ turpentine, with a tablespoonful of 
japan added to each pint of the paint. The second coat of ochre may be 
mixed in y^ hard drying implement varnish to yi japan. 

Mr. P. C. Hoebel, in Varnish, interestingly decribes his method of 
painting over a cracked and fissured surface, and avers that it has for many 
years proven uniformly successful, Mr. Hoebel says: "Instead of sanding 
down the old varnish, I skin it off by the use of ammonia and a stiff bladed 
putty knife. Then rub down with block rubbing stone and let stand over 
night to dry out. Next, a good sandpapering with No. 1 paper; dust thor- 
oughly. Then apply a mixture composed of 1 part drop black, 1 part keg 
lead, and the same amount of dry lampblack. Add a little rubbing varnish. 
Thin to a proper working consistency with turpentine. Next day putty - 
glaze the entire cracked surface with not too soft putty. Use the regulation 
hard drying carriage painter's putty. This putty should dry hard enough 
to sand well the following day. The sandpapering of this putty is of the 
greatest importance and requires an extra amount of elbow grease. The job 
is now ready to receive the proper ground work for its respective color which 
is to be." 

In wagon painting some exceedingly light and delicate tints are used, 
and driers for such tints adapted to the delicacy of coloring are needed. Ap- 
pended is a formula for a drier of this kind: Mix 15 parts of sulphate of zinc, 
4 parts sugar of lead, and 7 of litharge, with pure linseed oil, and grind the 
mixture in a paint mill very fine; then mix 100 parts of paris white to a 
dough with 50 parts of white lead and linseed oil. Grind this also very fine 
in the mill, then mix all together, grinding once more. 

It is possible now and then to remedy a case of pitted varnish in this 
manner. The morning after the varnish is applied cover the surface with 
clear turpentine. L,et the turps gradually soak up and soften the pitted 



158 PRACTICAL CARRIACE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 

varnish, adding more turps as required. When the varnish has become suffi- 
ciently softened, mix a little raw linseed oil with the turpentine (the oil 
holding the turps in check and preventing it from cutting into the under 
coats) and with a soft badger-hair brush proceed to "lift" the afflicted varnish 
coat. The varnish once removed, let the surface stand for a few hours, 
then give it a light rubbing over with a moistened sponge dipped in finely 
pulverized pumice stone. Follow with a thorough washing with clean water 
and revarnish. 

Color and varnish strainers are a necessity. Cheese cloth, cut into 6- 
inch squares, gives a very practical kind of strainer. All colors that have 
stood for some time after mixing require straining before being used. And 
finishing varnish — all varnish, in fact, should be strained as the final con- 
tents of the can are approached. Many first-class finishers insist upon 
straining all the varnish they use; and cheese cloth serves the purpose of a 
good strainer at a low cost. 

The best stroke for squaring up varnish has often been discussed at 
length, and it seems to be the decision of the leading finishers of the coun- 
try that the horizontal stroke is to be preferred to the vertical. To the be- 
ginner the former is probably the most difficult to use, the danger of runs, 
sags, etc., seemingly being thereby intensified. The natural flow of varnish, 
as the finishers all may know, is downward, and the horizontal stroke of the 
brush does not arrest this flow or divert it from its accepted course. The 
vertical stroke, however, permits of a varnish flow in at least two directions 
— sideways and downward. Runs and other surface defacers are equally 
possible with the horizontal or vertical bru.sh stroke. Immunity from such 
disturbers depends altogether upon the uniformity and equality with which 
the varnish has been flowed upon the surface. 

To renovate and give a fresh new look to cushions and backs, when 
faded, thin the desired color down with turpentine until it can almost be 
called a wash, and apply the mixture very thinly. Allow the color to dry 
thoroughly, and then thin shellac with alcohol until a very thin shellac is 
provided and coat the articles with this, following immediately with a smart 
polishing with neatsfoot oil and then wiping dry with clean woolen cloths. 

The twine used for bridling paint brushes — and the twine bridle is the 
favored kind in the carriage paint shop — should be run through melted tal- 
low and beeswax before put to use. After the tallow and wax has cooled on 
the twine, the bridling may proceed. After the twine is in position on the 
brush, run a little of the warm grease and wax over it. Thus a more durable 
and more easily cleaned bridle is given the brush. 

Imitation vermilions are considerably favored of late years, but they 
fade after the manner of a late autumn twilight unless amply protected by 
varnish. Given adequate varnish protection they show radiant colors and 
wear durably. 

The country carriage painter is no stranger to the vehicle, the family 

/ 



FEACTICAL CARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 159 

heirloom, perchance, that comes into the shop with hubs split and shattered, 
and axle grease filtering up through the cracks saturating the wood and 
making it generally unpaintable. An old carriage painter advises this treat- 
ment in order to cause the paint and color to dry over the afflicted parts: 
First give the hubs a wash with gasoline or benzine, working the fluid well 
into the cracks. Give plenty of time for evaporation to occur. Then with 
shellac cut with a little ether, fill in the fissure. Next make a putty of 
plaster of paris mixed with the shellac and ether. Into the fissures force this 
mixture, keeping it clearly from the outside surface of the hub, as nothing 
short of a file will level it after it has dried. Give the putty a nice, smooth 
dressing off upon the filling of each crevice. 

The business wagon occasionally contains a window glass that should 
go in imitation of frosted glass. Take finely ground whiting and, with fi 
raw linseed oil to Ys japan, mix to a rather stiff consistency; and then with 
turpentine reduce to a condition to work easily under a camel's-hair brush. 
Let the mixture be spread quickly and uniformly even upon the glass. Then 
take finely shredded cloth and roll it into a ball and cover with a clean cotton 
cloth and proceed to go carefully over the freshly laid on whiting, softly tap- 
ping it, until the frosted imitation is brought clearly and prettily into relief 

A surface that has become dented by a blow from a hammer or other 
blunt instrument can be remedied by so placing the surface that the dent or 
depression will hold a little water poured into it, and then holding a lighted 
taper to the water until the heat thus generated in the minute body of water 
causes the wood to again assume its natural shape and condition. In dent- 
ing the wood, if a positive rupture does not occur at the edge of the depres- 
sion the strain of the wood has occured in two distinct directions — inward 
and lengthwise — and the reaction when it takes place will be two-fold. A 
second way of treating such surface difficulties consists of boring with a gim- 
let through the compressed fibres of the wood until the sound timber is 
reached. This puncture will counteract the lengthwise reaction. Then 
moisten with tepid water until the wood recovers its natural position again. 
The bruise or dent with fractured edges is more easily repaired, as no reac- 
tion need be feared, the pressure of the tool making the depression having 
overcome the natural resistance of the wood; and destruction of resistance 
results, as may be naturally inferred, in destruction of all reactive functions. 

If the carriage or wagon painter at any time wishes a varnish to dry 
without gloss he may dissolve 4 ounces of beeswax in turpentine and add to 
1 quart of varnish. This, while not reducing the body of the varnish, will 
cause it to dry without much, if any. lustre. It will work from the brush 
freely and wear durably. If only a subdued gloss is desired, use 2 ounces of 
beeswax to 1 quart of varnish. 

The window sashes in business wagons that are painted in some of the 
dark fashionable greens offer a beautiful contrast to the l)ody color if grained 
mahogany color. For the ground color for the mahogany use white lead, 



160 PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AXD WAGON PAINTING. 

burnt sienna, and a bit of raw sienna for the toning ingredient. Putty, if 
necessar}^ upon the first ground coat. Two coats should suffice to give a 
dense, stable ground. Burnt sienna, wet in stale beer, forms the graining 
material. Apply with a soft brush, wipe quickly out with a soft, fleecy 
sponge, use the blender lightly, and the trick is done. 

The finisher should never assume the responsibility of adding driers to 
varnish. Varnish is composed of peculiarly sensitive and susceptible ingre- 
dients responding to the slightest influences, good or ill, and the addition of 
siccatives only tends to make the action of the varnish uncertain. It is only 
for the time being that the driers unite and form a part of the varnish. 
During the operation of applying to the surface the varnish forsakes or sep- 
arates the shop-added siccative, with the result that pitting and pin-holing, 
along with other burdensome deviltries, are developed. No, shop mixing of 
driers with varnish is not advisable. 

My esteemed confrere, Mr. J. G. Cameron, makes public this worthy ob- 
servation, with Var7iish as his medium of circulation: "Every varnish room 
should have a window through which the direct rays of the sun passes dur- 
the afternoon. It should be curtained and have a small slit or hole in the 
curtain for a slice of sunlight to stream through. This slice of sunlight will 
reveal the condition of the air within the room and tell the varnish er just 
how must dust he will have to contend with that day. If this ray shows 
that the air is loaded with magnetic dust, it would be well for him to sprinkle 
well every suspicious place within the varnish room. Some days sprinkling 
is not needed; such days as rainy ones or right after a rain 'storm. On windy 
days, window sills and any place where the air is likely to drift through 
should be wet down. But on magnetic days the floor and every place should 
be well wet down. A varnisher's clothes should be also scrupulously 
groomed off. The writer has varnished often with a damp 'shammy' wrapped 
round his wrist and arm to keep the dust from his underclothing from troub- 
ling him." 

Beware of the black color-and-varnish that carries a dash of too much 
color in it. Black of high or low degree, such as is used in carriage painting, 
may be classed as a non-drying material. Finishing varnish applied over a 
color-and-varnish containing too great a percentage of color is exceedingly 
liable to strike into this improperly hardened undercoat and lose the beauty 
of its lustre thereby. In carriage part finishing done upon the color-and- 
varnish coat the trouble here noted should be guarded against. 

Ornamental striping upon business wagons should never be done with 
the heav3' stripe. Retain the same style of striping throughout a job. Throw- 
ing in two or three styles of line work on a job is an affront to good taste of 
which no up-to-date painter should be guilty. 

A fine old woodworker once told my lamented friend, Mr. C. E. Vader, 
how to make a saw with which to cut block pumice stone. He said: "Take 
a piece of band iron 1^ or 2 inches wide and 18 inches long; put one end in 

/ 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 16J 

the vise and then get a sharp cold-chisel. Be sure to have it sharp. Slant 
the chisel 45° from you and tip to the left and strike quite a blow. Next time 
turn chisel to the right, or just try to cut some saw teeth in this iron. You 
can cut and set them at the same time. Don't make teeth too far apart. 
This will cut as much pumice stone as a well filed and set saw would." 

In an essay on "How to Make Coach Varnish go Wrong," published 
by a prominently-known varnish making firm some time since, this advice 
was tendered : T'ractice hospitality ! lyCt everybody go in and out of your 
varnish room freely. Don't have a small door cut in the large one, and 
don' t shut off your varnish room from the other rooms. Let the temper- 
ature of your varnish room vary as much as possible. Under no circum- 
stances allow it to remain the same for two consecutive hours. L^et it fall 
far below 70° or rise far above 80°; but above all things, make it vary. In 
the winter season let the fire go out occasionally, and be sure to select this 
as the proper time to open the window to see what is going on outside. ' ' 

One of the strong selling factors of a vehicle consists of a first-class in- 
terior finish. A prospective customer, as a rule, is quick to perceive the 
finish of the inside surface; and nothing tends more powerfully to cheapen 
the looks of an otherwise faultlessly finished job than a slovenly surfaced and 
finished carriage body interior. One doesn't need to insist upon the same 
high standard of cleanliness for the inside as the outside, but good surfacing 
and an excellent freedom from dirt, motes, etc., should be maintained in the 
finishing of interior surfaces. 

> In the finishing of carriages in the natural wood, gum shellac should 
not be used to fill up the grain of the wood. Shellac is of an entirely too 
brittle nature, devoid of elasticity, to be used upon a surface subject to sus- 
tained vibrations with accompanying violent jars and jolts. For first-class 
carriage work shellac is good only when not used. 

Another strongly recommended method of filling up cracks and fissures 
in coach panels embraces the employment of equal parts of English filling, 
dry white lead and whiting, mixed with equal parts of japan and rubbing 
varnish. To this add 3^ the quantity of rye flour paste, stirring the mass 
into a thick consistency. This is applied with an old paint brush, and when 
it has set and stiffened considerably upon the surface it is knifed in with a 
broad-blade putty knife, and two days later it is rubbed down with a block 
of pumice stone or a fine rubbing brick. 

A putty for resetting glass in coach frames is made of 7 parts whiting 
and 1 part white lead mixed to the correct working consistency in raw lin- 
seed oil, adding a little japan gold size to furnish the proper drying quality. 
If the putty is to be use upon black frames, darken sufficiently with ivory 
drop black, instead of lampblack, and lessen proportionately the japan used. 
This putty can be depended upon to remain in place and securely hold the 
glass in the frames. 



PBACTIOAL GARBIAGE AND WAQON PAINTING. 






m 



m=^ 



No. 4 Gold Street 
NEW YORK 



^V 



Harland's «^ «^ 
A English Varnishes I 



» 






f 
t 



THE STANDARD 



Varnish of the World 



f 






B 



^ 



PEACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON FAINTING. 












^ 



Do You Want a JAPAN 

which is the best in the market, a wonderful dryer and 
binder, exceedingly pale in color? Leading- Carriage 
Manufacturers of the United States are using Nonpareil 
Japan because of these qualities* One-half to two- 
thirds of a gallon of Nonpareil Japan will equal in 
strength one gallon of any good Coach Japan 

.^.^.^Our RUBBING VARNISHES are the standard 
throughout the country, and we have a line of superb 
FINISHING VARNISHES 



.^.^.^Correspondence solicited, 
price list 



Send for descriptive 



CHICAGO VARNISH 
COMPANYe 

ESTABLISHED J865 

Dearborn Ave. and Kinzie St. 
CHICAGO 









^^. 



mi. 









■^ 



No. 215 Pearl Street 
NEW YORK 



Pearl and High Streets 
BOSTON 


















PEAGTICAL OARBIAQE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



Color Secrets 



— Distinctions of Color 



The American Indian is a clofee observer. In our 
youth we were all delighted with Cooper's tales of the 
Red Man's wood craft — how he could see a squirrel 
track as easily as we can see a wagon track, or note a 
broken leaf as readily as we should note a fallen tree. 

Dr. Brinton, the famous student of aboriginal 
languages, has found that the Indian's words are as ex- 
act as his eyes. He tells us, for instance, that the 
Navajoes have eight entirely distinct words which he 
could only translate into English by our comprehen- 
sive and definite word "green." The Navajoe has a 
word for the green of the pine forest; a different word 
fpr the green of the ordinary forest; another for 
l^ie green of maize; another yet for the green of grass; 
and one altogether different for the green of freshly 
growing- leaves and grass: a word for the green of 
water; a distinct word for the green of feathers;' a 
word unlike all the rest for the green of stones. To 
his practiced eye, the slightest variation of shade is a 
separate and fixed color. 

The Murphy People have a Color tester with Nav- 
ajoe eyes. Anybody can produce an endless variety of 
shades. The trouble is that an endless variety may be 
produced with every new batch. The genius of color- 
making is to produce the endless variety of exact and 
fixed shades; and be able to reproduce the slightest 
variation with an Indian's perfect nicety of determin- 
ing the effects. Nothing is easier than to make colors: 
nothing is more difficult than to match colors. 

Murphy's Navajoe man produces; and reproduces. 



Murphy 
VARNISH= 

(^QMPANY 



■<* 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



NEW YORK 



?.'^^.<<^.» 



John W* Masury & Son 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

Superfine Colors ground in japan 

Pure Colors ground in oil 

Artists' Tube Colors 
Fine Carriage Varnishes 

Wagon Paints 

Carriage Gloss Paints 

Miscellaneous Varnishes 

and Japans 

^ .-..■<•.-..■< ..■■<.^.-< ...■<.-..■<. ■■■<■.■ ■<•.-..<.-..■♦•-.■■<■-..■< ..■<'. ..-^'Tm 
CHICAGO 



PRACTICAL CABBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




English 
Varnishes 

Smooth Flowing 
Easy Working 
Brilliancy, Durability 
Clearness and 
Drying Properties 




WILLIAM FISHER 



FOUNDER OF THE 

SURREY VARNISH CO. 

CHICAGO, 1896 
GRANDSON AND PUPIL IN 
VARNISH MAKING OF 
WILLIAM HARLAND 

ORIGINATOR OF THE FIRM OF 
WM. HARLAND & SON 
MERTON, SURREY, 
ENGLAND, 1 791 




WILLIAM HARLAND 

THE MOST CELEBRATED 
VARNISH MAKER 

IN THE WORLD.... 
FOUNDER OF THE 
FIRM OF 
HARLAND & SON 



WM. 



MERTON, SURREY, 
ENGLAND 



Sumy Varnish C« 

924 and 926 Ainslle Street 
Chicago 

The quality of a Varnish depends upon the time and skill de- 
voted to its manufacture, and not altogether, as many suppose, 
upon the materials from which it is vci2idc,>^^>^J''^J'J''^J''^ 
IN OUR FINISHING VARNISHES WE USE ONLY 
THE SLOW ENGLISH PROCESS. J^J^J'J^^J-J^J'J-J-^J' 



OUR TWO-DAY AND FOUR-DAY 

CARRIAGE RUBBING VARNISHES ARE THE 
BEST IN THE WORLD^ 



SURREY VARNISH COI^^^p^^Iy 

Factory: 924-926 Ainslie Street CHICAGO Office: 1302 Owings Building 



PRACTICAL CARBIA^JE AND WAGON PAINTING. xiv, 



STANDARD 

GflRRIflGE VARNISHES 



EXCEL IN 

FREE FLOWING SAFETY 

UNIFORMITY 
LUSTRE AND DURABILITY 



IT IS IMPOSSIBLE 

to obtain best results unless 
you use the best material and 
there are no better ^ ,^ ^ ^ ^ 

Rubbing or Finishing 

Varnishes in the market than 
those made by the ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

STflNDflRD VflRNlSH WORKS 

The Largest Varnish Works in the World 
FACTORIES, COVERING 7 acres, elm PARK, S. I. 



GENERAL OFFICES 

LONDON -29 BROADWAY... CHICAGO 

23 BILLITER STREET NEW YORK 2629 DEARBORN ST. 



XV. PBACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 

INCORPORATED 1891 

The National Varnish Company 

NEW HAVEN, CONN. 

Offer to the Carriage trade, or Painter, as you deem which 
is the best term. 

VARNISHES, guaranteed equal to the best in Lustre, 
Elasticity, Working, Drying, and Superior in Durability. 

Varnishes that were Analysed and Tested by 
Scientific School, Yale University, in competi- 



tion with Seven of the Standard Carriage Varnish 
Makers, and pronounced the best over all 



Order a trial lot and let them prove themselves, and save 
you money. Can be safely used on finest work. 

...DON'T PAY HIGH PRICES ANY LONGER... 



Carriage Finishing, extra light color - - - - ^3.50 

Carriage Finishing, medium drying - - . . 3.00 

Wagon Gear and Repair Work Varnish - - _ . 2.50 

Coach Makers Japan, the best - - - - 1.25 

Japan Gold Size, the best ------ 2.00 

Carriage Rubbing, extra light and fine - . , - 2.50 

Carriage Rubbing, two days ----- 2.00 

Quality guaranteed equal to the Best 



PE ACTIO AL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



...JEstablisbeO 1754... 



If. ma. 2)ex)oe <S do. 



Ube ©IDest anD Xavaest 

paint /iDanufacturing doncent 

in tbe 'Clnite^ States 



/Dbanufacturers ot 

Carriaoe Colors 

©rounO in Japan 

fine Coacb Datnisbes 
Brushes 



Hll Suppltee for Coacb patntlna 



Samples and 1[nforniation 
on request 



ifulton an^ Milliam Sts. 176 IRanOolpb Street 

1Rew ©ork Chicago 



xvii. PBACTICAL CABRIAGE AXU WAGOX PAIXTIXG. 

Z LUCAS HELPS '^ 

^i» Lucas Coach Colors .,^ 

6 Send for Color Companion and sample card showing 5-1 ^ 

^^iiL beautiful colors we carry in stock. Have you ever tried our 4|^W 

^iff' Lucasine Vermilions, Light Royal Green, Aurora Lake, "^T 

^g|. Deep Oi-ange Yellow, Cobalt Blue? ± ,9^ 

^,. Lucas Wagon Colors .,^ 

a Send for sample cards showing six up-to-date harmonious ^ 

^^ i> combinations for painting the body and gears of wagons. xS^ 

^1^ Lucas Primers Vermilion and Lead Color ^,3^ 

2 Light gravity for dipping; Heavy gravity for brush work. 2 

I Lucas Iron and Steel Fillers i 

^^T For the heavy iron parts of carriages and wagons of all kinds. tI^^ 

^ They are tough, elastic, and will stand hammering. ^ 

|. Lucas Wood Fillers Paste and Liquid ^ 

■"jgl ' For filling and priming Oak, Hickory and Ash; particularly '^r 

<t,i useful for work finished in the natural colors. ±, 9a 

^ Lucas Coach Varnishes 

Our Hard Drjdng Coach Rubbing gives universal satisfaction. 



^,^ i^ucas ^oacn varnisnes ^,^ 

Q Our Hard Drjdng Coach Rubbing gives universal satisfaction. ^ 

^ Lucas Coach Drying Japan ^'|^ 

^fe|^ Thoroughly reliable. Always uniform in strength and t'^^ 

X general working qualities. Z 

I Lucas Black Enamel Top Dressing ^ 

^^It Tip top for general repairs. Unexcelled for leather and cloth tI^^ 

^ tops and curtains. ^ 

^. Lucas Carriage Gloss Paint .5 

""(P ' A ready-for-use color varnish. Black and eleven popular ^^ 

^^» colors. A thoroughly reliable specialty. Particularly aA^ 

^^'t recommended for quick work. *^^ 

^'^ Lucas Paint and Varnish Remover '♦i^ 

^^|i Quick, energetic, effective. Does not raise the grain of the 4i^W 

^^' wood. An indispensable article in every paint shop. '^ 

^'^ JOHN LUCAS & CO. ^'|^ 

^^'t Practical Manufacturers Colors, Paints, Varnishes ^^^ 

^■k NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA. CHICAGO a,^ 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



THE PAINTERS FAVORITE 

O'Brien's 
Clearing Bodv Varnish 



EASY WORKING FREE FLOWING 
SPLENDID DRYING BRILLIANT 
MARVELOUSLY DURABLE ^ j* j* 



The O^Brien Varnish Company 

VARNISH MAKERS 
LINSEED CRUSHERS 

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA 







% 
^ 
V 



^* ^* 5^* (^^ 5^* ^* e^* 

High Grade Varnishes 
Superfine Colors 
Unexcelled Roughstuff 
Superior Drying Japans 

FULL LINE OF 

Coach Painters^ Materials 
and Supplies 



FELTON, SIBLEY & CO. 

136, 138, 140 N. FOURTH STREET 
PHILADELPHIA 



Sole Makers of the Celebrated STAR IVORY DROP BLACK in Gold Size Japan. 




PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 



EAGLE WHITE LEAD CO, 

"independent of all COMBINATIONS" 

CiNCiiMNATi, Ohio 



DRY 



MANUFACTURE REAL OLD-FASHIONED 

WHITE LEAD 



OIL' 



MADE BY THE OLD DUTCH PROCESS 

AND GROUND WITH OUR PERFECTED MACHINERY TO A GREATER 
DEGREE OF FINENESS THAN HAS EVER BEFORE BEEN ATTAINED 

....ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CARRIAGE AND CAR MANUFACTURERS' USE.... 

ALSO RED LEAD AND LITHARGE 
...AGBNGIBS... 

BUFFALO. N. Y.— A. S. Goltz, Afcent, 354 Ellicott Square. 

BOSTON, MASS.— 5 and 7 Lancaster Street, James H. Prince Paint Co., Agents. 
PHILADELPHIA— 142 North Fourth Street, T. E. Bannan. Agent. 
MEMPHIS, TENN.— The True-Tagg Paint Co.. Agents. 

ST. LOUIS, MO.— 1015 Lucas Avenue. F. L. Powers. Agent. 
CHICAGO— E. B. Bennett. Agent for Chicago and Northwest, 127-131 W. Harrison St. 
NEW YORK CITY— 73 Warren Street, H. Conklin, Asent. 

BALTIMORE, MD.— 447 North Street, Geo. O. Shivers, Agent. 
CLEVELAND— The A. T. Osborn Co., Agents. 

NEW ORLEANS— Jno. R. Todd & Bro., Agents. 

KANSAS CITY, MO.— W. R. McDonald, Agent. 

THE EAGLE WHITE LEAD CO. IS AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY 



JOST MOLLER 



ESTABLISHED 1863 



JOHN H. SCHUMANN 



MOLLER & SCHUMANN 

Varnish makers 



Marcy and Flushing Aves. 



BROOKLYN, N.Y. 




CHAS. H. WEBB, Publisher 



85 Fifth Avenue 



CHICAGO 



PBACTICAL GARBIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




TRADEMARK 



c a. willey 
Color Grinder 



AND MANUFACTURER OF SPECIALTIES 

IN 



CARRIAGE AND WAGON 
PAINTS, COLORS, Etc.^^ 



NOTT AND VERNON AVENUES 
HUNTER'S POINT 



NEW YORK CITY 



TWENTY YEARS' 

EXPERIENCE 

AS A 

FOREMAN 

COACH AND 

CARRIAGE 

PAINTER 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 




Quality 
Highest 



Using the WHITING BRUSHES in Blacktown. 



Prices 
Lowest 




Using the WHITING BRUSHES always brings 
prosperity and good luck. 



(^i* ^5* ^?^ ^?* e^^ 4^* (^5^ ^5* 5^* 



MANUFACTURED ONLY BY 



John L^ Vv Siting & S^^ C^* 



BOSTON 



PRACTICAL CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. xxii. 

We are Headquarters for 

Carriage Painters' Supplies 

of every description 



We are Agents for the following SPECIALTIES 

^^%A^LJ ^^^1 ^^D^ IIVI lADAIVI Manufactured by the well-known house of 
OV^MV^n V^V^U^rfO l in JMr'MIM Wadswortli, Howland & Co., inc., of Boston, 
Mass. Send for sample book showing many new colors. 



CARRIAGE VARNISHES M-"- ^y the same firm. 

Olarke & Co., of L< ndun, 



ENGLISH VARNISHES ^ade by Robt m^ham 



Eng. Highest grade Varnishes made. 

AUG. BUHNE & CO.'S STEEL WOOL pfm^ce'5\'o7e*.'sTm^K^^^^^^ 
deV"^e"wo"od' "rrflt" '""sZlt P A I N T A N D V A R N I S H REMOVER 

can sent prepaid for 35 cents. 

Kellogg & McDougall's Strictly Pure White Lead 

The Finest Ground and Whitest Lead in the market. Write for quotations. 

Also a Full Line of 

DD|J2LJ^2 of every description. 

BRONZE POWDERS *or striping and Lining. 
CHAMOIS SKINS English and French. 

nl I i^DC Dry and Ground, for Rough 
Lil-C-riO Stuff and Gear Fillers. 

I rAIT Gold, Silver, Aluminum. 

PUMICE STONE Kosmon"*"" ""' 
RUBBING FELTS ^hifkn^s'le^ 

^m^mm.^^ m.% ^-^ ^ ^^ ShCCp'sWool, 

SPONGES selected forms. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of Painters' Supplies and Artists' Materials 

with Discounts 

GEO. E. WATSON CO. 

38 Randolph Street •v.nrJH:' ii'.^?.''?^".' CHICAGO 



iii. PRACTICAL CABRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING. 






^i& 



m- 



m 






Established J 832 



Incorporated ^882 



Valentine & Companv 



^j& 






VAr^N7^!^ 






Manufacturers of High Grade 



COACH AND CAR 









VARNISHES AND COLORS 



57 BroadiDav. Heiu Vork 



if CHICAGO, 390 Wabash Avenue 

J BOSTON, 164 Purchase Street 

S PARIS, 21 Rue de Lappe 









^ir 



